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May, 2009 | | (05/05) The Globalist Examines HIV/AIDS in Haiti, Latin America | The Globalist recently examined the HIV/AIDS situation in the Caribbean and Latin America. Although Haiti was "one of the countries hardest hit" by HIV/AIDS in the region, infection rates have been falling during the last few years, according to UNAIDS statistics. Infection rates have been declining more slowly in rural areas than in urban areas, and the percentage of pregnant women who have tested HIV-positive has declined by half over the last 10 years, the Globalist reports. Currently about 190,000 Haitians or 2.2% of the population is HIV-positive. In 2001, 6.1% of the adult population was HIV-positive, according to UNAIDS ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 05/05/2009 | | | | (05/05) HIV-Positive People at Increased Risk of New Flu Strain, WHO Says | HIV-positive people worldwide are at an increased risk of the H1N1 flu strain, the World Health Organization said on Saturday in guidelines for health workers published on its Web site, Reuters India reports. According to WHO, people with immodeficiency diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, likely will be vulnerable to complications related to the flu strain, just as they are from the seasonal flu, which results in about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths annually. According to WHO, the H1N1 strain and HIV could prove to be a hazardous combination, similar to HIV and tuberculosis. "Although there are inadequate data to predict the impact of a possible human influenza pandemic on HIV-affected populations, interactions between HIV and A(H1N1) influenza could be significant," WHO said, adding that HIV-positive people "should be considered as a high risk and a priority population for preventive and therapeutic strategies against influenza, including emerging influenza A(H1N1) virus infection" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 05/05/2009 | | | | (05/04) ‘Congressional Quarterly’ Article Focuses on Obama’s Silence on AIDS | An article in today’s issue of ‘Congressional Quarterly’ headlined, “AIDS Group Shows Impatience,” focuses on AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s growing concern that President Obama’s total silence on HIV/AIDS during his first 100 days in office signals the relatively low priority that AIDS seems to hold for the President and his Administration. The article, written by CQ staff reporter Shawn Zeller, reports on a 60 second television advertisement titled, “President Obama: We Hope you are the Change We Can Believe In On AIDS,” that AHF produced and aired on CNN in Washington and New York. Following is the CQ article: Click to view video.
~AIDS Healthcare Foundation - 05/04/2009 | | | | (05/01) Depression and HCV | May is Mental Health Month. In the U.S., roughly one in five experience some sort of mental illness. Depression is the most widespread psychiatric condition. Those with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) frequently experience depression. Depression is common in the general public, with sources reporting from 5% to 20%. That number increases for those living below the poverty level. Women, non-Hispanic blacks and those ages 40-59 have higher depression rates. The World Health Organization reports that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - May 2009 | | | | (05/01) Omega-3’s Protect Liver | In the last few years omega-3 fatty acids have been in the news as the next best thing to help manage and treat a wide variety of health-related issues. Usually when this type of hype builds up on anything it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. But omega-3’s just might buck this trend because there is a good amount of scientific data that is confirming some of the claims made in the last few years. For instance, omega-3 fatty acids have been found to improve the overall health of the heart by lowering unhealthy cholesterol and blood pressure. Some research has also found that omega-3’s may even help to lower the risk of stroke. In this article I will explore some of the facts of omega 3’s and how these relate to the liver – namely fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, two factors that greatly affect HCV disease progression and treatment outcome ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - May 2009 | | | | (05/01) Needle-exchange worker helps heroin users in Rock County | Jimi Reinke is in Rock County twice a week distributing syringes to drug users. He is doing nothing illegal. His job is to keep people from dying from dirty needles. Reinke works for Lifepoint Needle Exchange, a program of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. Based in Madison, he works a territory from the Dells south to the state line. Rock County is a prime territory ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 05/01/2009 | | | | (05/01) Early treatment gives hepatitis C patients the all-clear | THERE is good news for people with hepatitis C, say medical researchers who have found that with early treatment up to 70 per cent of patients will be cured of the debilitating infection. What's more, the international team showed that, overall, when treating the blood-borne virus, the standard combination drug treatment was as effective as a stronger regimen, which caused more serious side effects ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - May 2009 | | | | (05/01) Black Leaders Convene AIDS Mobilization Summit in Response to New Washington D.C. HIV/AIDS Data | WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leaders of traditional Black political, civil rights, social, and faith based organizations will come together with local AIDS and community based organizations on Monday, May 4, 2009 for a D.C. Black AIDS Leadership Mobilization Summit to respond to recent data released by the D.C. Department of Health. The meeting will take place 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Kaiser Family Foundation located at 1310 G. Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005. National television commentator Jeff Johnson will moderate the event ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 05/01/2009 | | | April, 2009 | | (04/30) Solomon Islands' Media Should Increase HIV/AIDS Awareness, Combat Stigma, Official Says | Media outlets in the Solomon Islands should undertake efforts to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS and counteract the stigma associated with the disease, Joe Weber, Oxfam International representative for the country, said recently at the close of a week-long media training on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, PINS/Solomon Star News reports. The meeting -- funded by Oxfam and organized by the Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association -- included 20 media personnel from various organizations in the country's capital of Honiara ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/30/2009 | | | | (04/29) UNAIDS Official Calls for Efforts To Address Disease Among Workers in Fiji | HIV/AIDS efforts in Fiji should be mobilized to address disruptions in productivity among workers in the country, Stuart Watson, UNAIDS coordinator for the Pacific Region, said on Tuesday, the Fiji Times reports. Watson was addressing participants at an event to mark the 2009 World Day for Safety and Health at Work. He noted that HIV/AIDS often affects workers, who are the drivers of a country's economy ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/29/2009 | | | | (04/29) Report Examines HIV/AIDS, Other Issues in Tanzanian Prisons | About 9.2% of inmates in Tanzania's prisons are HIV-positive, according to a recently released 2008 Human Rights Report compiled by the country's Legal and Human Rights Centre, Guardian/IPP Media reports. LHRC advocate Clarence Kipobota at the release of the report said that the situation in Tanzanian prisons is alarming, adding that there are no systems in place to aid HIV-positive inmates. He said, "There is no information on appropriate health facilities for people living with HIV/AIDS in prisons," adding that there are "no mechanisms designed to facilitate a convicted person's transition back into the society when they are released" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/29/2009 | | | | (04/28) Reviving Dormant Protein That Resists HIV Could Further Microbicide Research | By tinkering with a dormant human gene, researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a way to produce a protein that resists HIV in the lab, the AP/Orlando Sentinel reports (Quintero, AP/Orlando Sentinel, 4/28). The researchers say that the findings could one day be used to create a topical cream, or microbicide, that helps to prevent the transmission of HIV from men to women, McClatchy-Tribune News Service/Journal Gazette reports (McClatchy-Tribune News Service/Journal Gazette, 4/28) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2009 | | | | (04/28) Obama Administration Names Former Clinton Official Goosby to Global AIDS Coordinator Post | President Obama on Monday named Eric Goosby as the new global AIDS coordinator and administrator of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the New York Times reports (Macfarquhar, New York Times, 4/27). Goosby, whose nomination has to be confirmed by the Senate, currently serves as CEO and chief medical officer of Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation and as a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California-San Francisco (CQ HealthBeat, 4/27). During the Clinton administration, he served as deputy director of the White House National AIDS Policy Office and director of HHS' Office of HIV/AIDS Policy. According to White House officials, Goosby was a key player in developing and implementing national HIV/AIDS treatment programs in China, Rwanda, South Africa and Ukraine (White House release, 4/27) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2009 | | | | (04/28) Increasing Number of New HIV Cases in El Paso, Texas, Recorded Among Young People | The number of HIV cases among people younger than age 35 in El Paso, Texas, is on the rise, highlighting what some health officials say is a trend of complacency about the virus, the El Paso Times reports. The city's health department records indicate a shift in the ages of people testing HIV-positive. In 2004, the majority of newly reported cases occurred among men older than age 35, while in 2007 and 2008, more cases were newly recorded among people in their 20s and early 30s. Twenty-two cases have been reported in the first three months of this year, with more than half among people younger than age 35. Twenty-one cases were among men, with seven among men ages 24 or younger and five among men ages 25 to 34. Three cases occurred among men between ages 35 and 39, while the remaining six cases occurred among men ages 45 to 64 ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2009 | | | | (04/28) Taiwan Harm Reduction Program for IDUs Praised at International Conference | Taiwan's harm reduction program for injection drug users -- which has reduced the number of new HIV cases among the group by about 50% over a three-year period -- recently received praise at the International Harm Reduction Association's 20th International Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Inter Press Service reports. According to Inter Press Service, Taiwan's HIV incidence declined to 1,752 new cases in 2008, compared with more than 3,300 in 2005 -- nearly double the number recorded in 2004. Sheng Mou Hu, the country's health minister at the time, said the success in reducing the number of new HIV cases can be attributed to the approach that "harm reduction should be based on human rights." The program was launched in 2006 and includes elements like enhanced screening and monitoring of HIV-positive IDUs, a needle-exchange program and methadone replacement initiatives. As a result, IDUs in Taiwan are presented to the public as "patients" who required medical attention rather than criminals, Inter Press Service reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/28/2009 | | | | (04/27) CDC Report Examines HIV/AIDS in Chinese Province | A report by Chinese and U.S. researchers released last week in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report examined the spread of HIV in China's Guangdong province, Reuters reports. The team of researchers -- from CDC and the Guangdong Center for Disease Control -- said that 82.1% of new HIV cases among men in Guangdong occurred through injection drug use, while 53.7% of HIV-positive women had "engaged in high-risk heterosexual contact" (Fox, Reuters, 4/24). According to the report, injection drug use was the most common mode of transmission over the period 1997 to 2007, but new infections attributable to injection drug use declined from 2005 to 2007 while those related to high-risk heterosexual contact increased (MMWR, 4/24). The researchers said that the findings "might suggest a shift in Guangdong's HIV epidemic similar to the national trend, in which heterosexual transmission was the main transmission category in China in 2007." The researchers added, "Migrant women who lack appropriate job skills or who seek to supplement the family income might become sex workers, and migrant men living apart from their spouses might become clients of sex workers" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/27/2009 | | | | (04/27) Uganda Releases Guidelines on Breastfeeding, Including Recommendations for HIV-Positive Women | Uganda's Ministry of Health last week released breastfeeding guidelines as part of a wider policy on feeding policies for infants and young children, New Vision reports. The guidelines also include breastfeeding recommendations for HIV-positive women. According to the guidelines, women should exclusively breastfeed for the first six months. In addition, they say that health workers should determine the HIV status of pregnant and breastfeeding women -- and that such women should disclose their status -- to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. According to the guidelines, HIV-positive women should still breastfeed for the first six months, regardless of their infants' HIV status, unless adequate breastmilk replacements are available. Current guidelines recommend HIV testing among infants at age six weeks if they are born to HIV-positive women ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/27/2009 | | | | (04/24) Metabolic Syndrome Hikes Mortality in Hepatitis C | WHEELING, W.Va. - Patients with hepatitis C infection appear more likely to die from the condition if they also suffer from one or more components of metabolic syndrome, a researcher said. Excess body weight and hypertension both significantly heightened the risk of liver-related mortality in hepatitis C patients, according to data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) series, reported Zobair Younossi, M.D., of Inova Health System in Falls Church, Va. Those two factors as well as the third component of metabolic syndrome -- type 2 diabetes -- also made death from all causes more likely during the study period, said Dr. Younossi ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - May 2009 | | | | (04/23) Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Remains Challenge in Zambia, Health Minister Says | Zambia's health minister, Kapembwa Simbao, recently said that the provision of services to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission remains a challenge in the country, despite the government's efforts to expand such services in recent years, the Lusaka Times reports. Simbao's remarks, read by Deputy Health Minister Mwendoi Akakandelwa, came as the ministry completed an initial mid-term review of efforts under a regional grant provided by the Canadian International Development Agency and the World Health Organization ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/23/2009 | | | | (04/22) HIV Infection - Guangdong Province, China, 1997-2007 | Results of ongoing HIV infection trend analysis in China conducted with technical assistance from the U.S. CDC help to characterize HIV transmission and provide valuable information to China for targeting and evaluating HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs. In 2007, an estimated 700,000 persons in China were living with HIV infection, of which 40.6 percent were infected through heterosexual transmission and 38.1 percent were infected through injection-drug use. To assess recent trends in HIV infection in Guangdong Province, the country's most populous, the Guangdong Center for Disease Control, with technical assistance from CDC, analyzed case-based surveillance data from 1997 to 2007. The results of this analysis indicated that, from 2003 to 2005, the number of reported new HIV infections increased from 1,284 to 5,223, with the majority of infections related to injection-drug use. However, 2007 data indicate a decline in infections related to injection-drug use while infections from heterosexual contact continued to increase.
~Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - 04/22/2009 | | | | (04/22) Uganda Officials Urge WFP To Continue Support for HIV-Positive Displaced People | Ugandan government officials and HIV/AIDS advocates are concerned that cutbacks in the World Food Program's aid initiatives to internally displaced people living with HIV in the country will make it difficult to meet the needs of the large number of people who are leaving resettlement camps, IRIN/PlusNews reports. WFP in 2008 announced that a funding shortfall forced the organization to reduce its Ugandan food programs, phasing out general food distribution in the north. Bai Mankay Sankoh, head of WFP's Gulu office, said the organization "shall only be providing food support to those HIV-positive IDPs who are extremely sick or those whose health condition has relapsed, based on evidence from health workers." According to IRIN/PlusNews, IDPs are being encouraged to leave the camps as a two-year lapse in hostilities between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army has led to an ongoing peace process. Local officials say that about 40% of the country's nearly one million IDPs have relocated to camps closer to their home villages ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/22/2009 | | | | (04/10) HIV/AIDS Presents 'Opportunity' for Social Change, UNAIDS Chief Sidibe Says | Although HIV/AIDS poses significant challenges, the disease also presents opportunities for social change, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said recently during a visit to Senegal, AFP/Google.com reports. Sidibe said people should not regard HIV/AIDS simply as a problem but rather should use HIV/AIDS as an "entry point" to discuss social issues and "bring about changes in legislation." According to Sidibe, HIV/AIDS presents a "political opportunity to trigger profound changes in society, to talk about difficult issues like sex education, homophobia and human rights issues in general, like the position of women in society." He added that he regards UNAIDS "as a political agent which has to demand change" rather than as an organization with "clearly outlined programs." He said, "UNAIDS has to be the voice for the voiceless, it should have political courage" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/10/2009 | | | | (04/10) UNODC, Afghan Health Ministry Establish Regional Initiative To Control Spread of HIV Among IDUs | The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Afghan Ministry of Health have established a regional plan to prevent and control the spread of HIV among injection drug users who are refugees in Iran and Pakistan, Xinhua News Agency reports. According to a release from the health ministry, the project aims to bolster access to and availability, quality and uptake of HIV prevention and care services. It also aims to create a regional network of HIV prevention efforts (Xinhua News Agency, 4/8) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/10/2009 | | | | (04/10) HIV/AIDS Hindering Namibia's Progress in Improving Child Health | The spread of HIV/AIDS in Namibia over the past decade has halted the country's gains in improving children's health, and some organizations are calling for improved access to health care services and programs addressing poverty and hunger, South Africa's Mail and Guardian reports. Namibia was on track to reduce its child mortality rates until 2000, when child mortality rates began to increase. Ian McCleod, Namibia's representative for UNICEF, said that 50% of all child deaths among children under age five are because of HIV-related conditions such as malnutrition, low birthweight, premature births, immune deficiency, pneumonia and diarrhea ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/10/2009 | | | | (04/09) Cleveland Health Officials Launch Online Campaign To Inform People of HIV, STI Risk | In an effort to monitor cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, the Cleveland Health Department plans to use social networking sites and e-mail messages to reach people who have come in contact with a person who recently tested positive for an STI, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Health officials typically track people who might have been exposed to HIV or syphilis by visiting their homes or popular gathering places, such as bars or bathhouses. Beginning next week, the department will create profiles on two popular networking sites for men who have sex with men and contact people through these sites. In addition, the department eventually plans to create a profile on Facebook ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/09/2009 | | | | (04/09) Kenyan University Launches Program To Address HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma | The AIDS Control Unit at Maseno University in Kenya has launched an initiative to address stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS by encouraging students to avoid offensive language regarding the disease, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Maurine Olel, coordinator of the control unit, said, "We are working with student clubs, students leaders and other partners to ensure that students are ... sensitive to their colleagues who might be living with HIV," adding, "When you create stigma, other efforts geared towards fighting HIV become hard to implement." Rosemary Wambui, a psychologist and counselor at the control unit, said, "Students are generally aware of HIV, but it is important to fight stigma ... and what it is that causes it, including the language, because it leads to silence and denial, which are big hindrances to the fight against HIV" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/09/2009 | | | | (04/08) Needle-Exchange Program Needed in Canadian City of Victoria, Health Researcher Says | Needle-exchange efforts in the Canadian city of Victoria are "clearly inadequate" and do not meet international health guidelines on HIV/AIDS prevention, Thomas Kerr, a health researcher with the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, said recently, the Victoria Times Colonist reports. Kerr said that the city has been without a permanent needle-exchange facility since the last site closed about one year ago, following complaints from neighboring residents. After the Vancouver Island Health Authority decided not to open a fixed site, authority officials contracted AIDS Vancouver Island to offer a mobile needle-exchange service with two teams working from a van and on foot, the Times Colonist reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/08/2009 | | | | (04/08) IRIN/PlusNews Examines Program in Laos Targeting MSM | IRIN/PlusNews on Monday examined a peer education program in Laos directed toward "hidden" men who have sex with men, a group that is "difficult to identify in HIV prevention and surveillance" despite being "probably the largest group of MSM in the country." Anan Bouapha -- a former coordinator for the project, which is run by the Australian medical research facility the Burnet Institute -- said, "Unlike transsexuals or openly gay men, hidden MSM can be homosexual, bisexual or straight. They might not want to be identified as MSM but we need to get the safe-sex message to them, no matter how difficult this is." IRIN/PlusNews reports that the program's peer educators visit places young men are most likely to gather, such as beer shacks, saunas or video shops. Bouapha said that the peer educators are trained to discuss HIV and other sexually transmitted infection prevention, as well as how to approach MSM so that they feel comfortable asking questions ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/08/2009 | | | | (04/07) PEPFAR Helped Prevent More Than 1M AIDS-Related Deaths in Africa, Study Says | The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has helped prevent more than one million AIDS-related deaths and reduced AIDS-related mortality by an average of 10.5% annually in 12 African focus countries as more people gained access to antiretroviral drugs, according to a study published online Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Bloomberg reports. According to the study, the program did not have any effect on overall HIV prevalence. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provided funding for the study ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2009 | | | | (04/07) VOA News Examines HIV/AIDS Efforts in Papua New Guinea | VOA News on Saturday examined efforts to address HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea. Some estimates place the country's HIV/AIDS prevalence at 2%, and some studies indicate that about 10% of the population could be living with the disease by 2025. According to VOA News, young women and older men are disproportionately affected by the disease, and most HIV cases are transmitted through heterosexual intercourse ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2009 | | | | (04/07) Miami Herald Examines Issues Surrounding HIV Status Disclosure Among MSM | The Miami Herald on Monday examined issues that some HIV-positive men who have sex with men face when determining when to reveal their status to potential partners. According to the Herald, a recent study from the Gay Men's Health Crisis found that half of U.S. residents surveyed said they believe that HIV/AIDS contributes to discrimination against MSM. In addition, discrimination in the MSM community toward HIV-positive MSM is not discussed widely, according to the Herald. This stigma often leads to a fear of disclosure among HIV-positive MSM, which can contribute to high-risk sexual activity and the spread of HIV ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/07/2009 | | | | (04/06) Cambodia Aims To Decrease HIV/AIDS Prevalence to 0.6% by 2010 | Cambodia aims to decrease its HIV/AIDS prevalence to 0.6% by 2010, compared with a prevalence of more than 0.7% in 2008 and 0.9% in 2006, Xinhuanet reports. To reach the target, the government has allocated between $45 million and $50 million annually to address the disease. Following efforts from the government and nongovernmental organizations, more than 90% of commercial sex workers, injection drug users, men who have sex with men, and women who have sex with women are aware of HIV/AIDS, according to government figures. In addition, the figures indicate that at least 90% of sex workers use condoms ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/06/2009 | | | | (04/06) Ugandan First Lady Calls for Increased Efforts To Prevent Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission | Uganda's first lady Janet Museveni recently called for increased efforts to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in the country, Uganda's New Vision reports. MTC prevention efforts are a prerequisite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Museveni said, adding that more than 90% of pregnant women have contact with a health care provider at least once during pregnancy ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/06/2009 | | | | (04/06) Inter Press Service Examines Research Into PrEP | Inter Press Service last week examined how researchers are investigating the use of antiretroviral drugs as a possible method of pre-exposure prophylaxis. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition's Executive Director Mitchell Warren recently said that such efforts are "a pivotal moment in HIV/AIDS research." Mitchell -- who was speaking at the Fourth South African AIDS Conference -- said, "We are at a time where prevention and treatment need to marry." Salim Abdool Karim, director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa, said that PrEP is "biologically plausible" and that the method "could prevent millions of new infections every year." Inter Press Service reports that there are three PrEP trials planned by different research organizations worldwide that aim to examine preventing the heterosexual transmission of HIV among women ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/06/2009 | | | | (04/02) Kenya's Transport Industry, World Food Program Launch HIV/AIDS Service Centers Along Transport Routes | Officials in the transport industry in Kenya have partnered with the World Food Program to open HIV/AIDS service centers along major transportation routes that will offer testing and care to transport workers, port workers and commercial sex workers, Kenya's Business Daily reports. WFP, the Kenya Ports Authority, Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa, and the North Star Foundation established the first center along the corridor route at Mombasa port. An additional 20 centers have been established ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/02/2009 | | | | (04/02) Namibian Health Official Urges Conference Participants To Focus on Prevention | Petrina Haingura, Namibia's deputy health minister, recently called on participants at the bi-annual Namibia Network of AIDS Service Organizations to increase prevention efforts in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, Namibia's New Era reports. A 2008 survey that monitored HIV prevalence among women showed "a welcome fall" from 19.9% in 2006 to 17.7% in 2008, Haingura said. She added that prevalence rates have decreased to 5% among people between ages 15 and 19, and to 14% among people ages 20 to 24. In addition, HIV prevalence in six of Namibia's regions has declined to 15%, compared with previous rates as high as 40%, Haingura noted ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/02/2009 | | | | (04/02) Angolan Official Calls for Creation of Parliamentary HIV/AIDS Commission | Joao Lourenco, first deputy speaker of Angola's National Assembly, on Tuesday called for the creation of a parliamentary HIV/AIDS commission to address issues surrounding the disease, the Angola Press reports. According to Lourenco, members of parliament, the National AIDS Commission and nongovernmental organizations should establish a permanent relationship with the committee. He said that members of parliament should take a larger role in Angola's HIV/AIDS strategies in an effort to assist HIV-positive people, adding that they also should help the country's efforts to obtain foreign, technical and financial aid. In addition, Lourenco said that parliament should hold more frequent sessions and discussions on the disease and involve all sectors of society ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/02/2009 | | | | (04/01) Papua New Guinea Defense Force To Distribute 43M Condoms Nationwide | The Papua New Guinea Defence Force will store and distribute 43 million condoms throughout the country in an effort to prevent the spread of HIV, ABC Online reports. ABC Online reports that the National AIDS Council does not have the resources to distribute large amounts of condoms, which in the past has resulted in the expiration of some condoms. The Defence Force will provide storage space in the capital of Port Moresby and transport condoms throughout the country. Commodore Peter Llau said the distribution effort is a worthwhile cause, adding, "We don't normally deal with civil donor agencies, but this is one of those rare occasions when we've responded." ABC Online reports that an estimated 2% of the country's population is HIV-positive (Fox, ABC Online, 3/30) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/01/2009 | | | | (04/01) 160,000 Children in Ghana Orphaned by HIV/AIDS, Commission Says | Recent data compiled by the Ghana AIDS Commission indicate that about 160,000 children have been orphaned by the disease in the country, Ghana's GNA/My Joy Online reports. According to Damien Punguyire, medical superintendent of the country's Kintampo Hospital, without adequate care, more people will be affected by the pandemic and more children will be orphaned within the next five years ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 04/01/2009 | | | | (04/01) What Is Acute Hepatitis B? | When someone is exposed to the hepatitis B virus (HBV), there are two types of infections that can result – acute (shortlived)
or chronic (long-term) ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - April 09 | | | | (04/01) HBV: Preventing Mother-to-Child Infection | Pregnant women who are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) frequently infect their newborns because of the HBV present in their blood and body fluids. About 40 percent of infants born to HBV-infected mothers in the United States become infected unless they are immediately vaccinated and receive hepatitis B antibodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ...(continued)
~HBV Advocate - April 2009 | | | | (04/01) The Liver: Stress and the Liver | It is an established fact that stress can have a negative impact on both mind and body. People with hepatitis B often comment that a period of stress usually leads to a ‘flare-up’ of symptoms, especially fatigue. Surprisingly, there is a wealth of information about how stress can affect liver disease. This fact sheet will cover some of the data from a review article titled “Does Stress Exacerbate Liver Disease?” by Y. Chida and colleagues, and sheds some light on the effects of stress on liver disease as well as raising some interesting questions ...(continued)
~HBV Advocate - April 2009 | | | March, 2009 | | (03/27) PBS Program Examines HIV/AIDS, TB in South Africa | PBS' "News Hour With Jim Lehrer" recently aired a three-part series examining various issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in South Africa. Summaries of the three segments appear by clicking title:
~Kaiser Network - 03/27/2009 | | | | (03/27) Stigma, Discrimination Deterring HIV Testing Among Some High-Risk Populations in Indonesia, Foundation Says | Stigma and discrimination aimed at transgendered people and men who have sex with men in Indonesia are significant factors in deterring the groups from receiving HIV tests, the country's Inter Medika Foundation said Tuesday, the Jakarta Globe reports. Harry Prabowo, director of the foundation, said that members of these high-risk communities should be motivated to seek voluntary counseling and testing, especially those who practice unsafe sex. He added that motivation should come from members of the community, as well as family and friends. VCT is offered at clinics run by the government and nongovernmental organizations, the Globe reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/27/2009 | | | | (03/27) PBS Program Examines HIV/AIDS, TB in South Africa | PBS' "News Hour With Jim Lehrer" recently aired a three-part series examining various issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in South Africa. Summaries of the three segments appear by clicking title:
~Kaiser Network - 03/27/2009
| | | | (03/10) New York City Group Promotes Awareness On National HIV/AIDS Day for Women, Girls | The New York City-based HIV/AIDS group Gay Men's Health Crisis on Tuesday will join other advocates, officials, teachers and clergy members outside City Hall to bring attention to what it calls the "alarming" impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls on the occasion of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the AP/USA Today reports. The group plans to call for improved sex education in schools and increased HIV prevention and treatment services (AP/USA Today, 3/9). The 2009 theme for the day is "HIV is Right Here at Home" (HHS Web site, 3/10) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/10/2009 | | | | (03/10) HIV/AIDS Outreach Efforts in Atlanta, Buffalo, N.Y., Target Black Community | Atlanta: The African-American Outreach Initiative will hold its 10th annual conference on HIV/AIDS in Atlanta March 15, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women ages 24 to 34 and the second leading cause of death among black men ages 35 to 44. The two-day conference will seek to identify people who are HIV-positive and encourage them to seek care, Michael Banner, chair of the planning committee, said. According to Banner, the conference attracts between 500 and 600 people who are HIV-positive. Banner said the conference "gives people who are HIV-positive a safe place to come and get information and see role models who are living with HIV but not living in the shadows" (Bonds Staples, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/8) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/10/2009 | | | | (03/10) Nigerian Advocacy Group Encourages HIV-Positive Couples To Marry, Offers Counseling, Other Services | An HIV/AIDS advocacy group in Nigeria's Bauchi state is encouraging HIV-positive people to marry one another in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading to HIV-negative people, the AP/Google.com reports. The program is run by the Bauchi Action Committee on AIDS and offers counseling and money to couples who are living with HIV/AIDS and are planning to marry ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/10/2009
| | | | (03/09) RETHINKING DRINKING OFFERS TOOLS TO ASSESS AND CHANGE RISKY DRINKING HABITS | A new Web site and booklet from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) could help many people reduce their risk for alcohol problems. Called Rethinking Drinking, the new materials present evidence-based information about risky drinking patterns, the alcohol content of drinks, and the signs of an alcohol problem, along with information about medications and other resources to help people who choose to cut back or quit drinking. The Web site — RethinkingDrinking.niaaa.nih.gov — also features interactive tools, such as calculators for measuring alcohol calories and drink sizes. NIAAA is part of the National Institutes of Health ...(continued)
~National Institutes of Health - 03/09/2009 | | | | (03/09) Incarcerated Women and Abortion Provision: A Survey of Correctional Health Providers | Many women entering jail or prison are pregnant, and correctional facilities are therefore an important
venue for providing a range of pregnancy-related care, including access to abortion services. However, the availability
of abortion services to inmates in the United States is unknown ...(continued)
~Guttmacher Institute - 03/09/2009 | | | | (03/09) Men, Women Should Share Responsibility for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment, Malaysian Official Says | Men and women should share equal responsibility for preventing HIV/AIDS and providing treatment to people living with the diseases, Ng Yen Yen -- Malaysian minister for women, family and community development -- said last week at the 53rd Session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, Bernama Daily Malaysian News reports. According to Ng, the percentage of new HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia that occur among women has increased from 1.2% in 1990 to 16.4% in 2007. In addition, most HIV-positive women in the country contract the virus from their husbands, Ng said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/09/2009 | | | | (03/09) Religious Leaders in Tajikistan Join HIV/AIDS Campaign | Religious leaders in Tajikistan have joined a campaign that aims to address HIV/AIDS in the country, Radio Free Europe reports. According to Mullah Abdurahim Imam, who heads a mosque in the city of Dushanbe, the religious leaders are working with an HIV/AIDS center and international groups to improve their understanding of the disease and promote healthy lifestyles. In addition, the government, the United Nations office in Dushanbe and HIV/AIDS experts have organized seminars and roundtables for mullahs and imams. Muslim clerics during Friday services also have called on returning migrant workers to be tested for HIV and avoid risky behaviors. They also have promoted tolerance toward people living with HIV/AIDS, Radio Free Europe reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/09/2009 | | | | (03/07) HCV Treatment and Sexual Dysfunction | Ask any hepatitis C (HCV) patient who ever had treatment and you will likely learn that treatment is rough on one’s sex life. This includes male and female patients as well as their partners. Reports of sexual dysfunction are so common that researchers looked at this issue. At the 2008 American Association of the Study of Liver Diseases meeting, Dove and colleagues1 designed a study to define the problem. While undergoing treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin, 260 men in 8 U.S. centers, completed sexual health questionnaires. Women were not included in this study ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/07/2009 | | | | (03/07) Q&A: could I catch hepatitis C? | How easy is it to catch hepatitis C from a partner who is carrying the virus? I have just heard that an ex of mine has it
Dr Mark Porter: How easy is it to catch hepatitis C from a partner who is carrying the virus? I have just heard that a past boyfriend of mine is awaiting a liver transplant because of the infection, which he probably picked up when he dabbled with drugs at university. That was more than 15 years ago, but I am now worried that he may have had the virus when we were together and passed it on to me ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/07/2009 | | | | (03/07) Sick, seeking answers | After living with hepatitis C for more than 20 years, TroyAnderson knows the end is near. But he says it didn't have to be this way.
Kitchener – Troy Anderson was already carrying the virus that was silently attacking his liver when he walked into a navy recruiting office on Duke Street in 1986. Twenty-three years later, he has only to look a few blocks from his Queen Street apartment to be reminded of his eagerness and ignorance that day ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/07/2009 | | | | (03/07) NYC dialysis center tied to 9 hepatitis C cases | NEW YORK—A New York City kidney dialysis center remains closed after state health inspectors found that nine patients contracted hepatitis C there over a seven-year period, according to a report released Thursday. The Life Care Dialysis Center in Manhattan shut its doors in September after the inspectors found unsanitary conditions including blood on chairs and machines, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its summary of the investigation results. Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by a virus and spread by contact with the blood of an infected person ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 03/07/2009 | | | | (03/06) Study Reports HIV Prevalence Among Vancouver Sex Workers, IDUs, MSM | A recent study conducted by the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS found that 26% of Vancouver's up to 520 female commercial sex workers and 17% of the city's injection drug users are HIV-positive, the Vancouver Sun reports. The overall prevalence of the virus in Vancouver is about 1.21% -- six times the national average -- and the HIV prevalence among the city's estimated 20,000 men who have sex with men, including male sex workers, is estimated at 15%, the Sun reports. The study -- published in the Harm Reduction Journal -- is the first in Canada to estimate the per capita prevalence of HIV for high-risk groups. Researchers used software from the United Nations and the World Health Organization, in addition to 2006 Statistics Canada data and other sources such as population surveys, according to the Sun ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/06/2009 | | | | (03/05) Botswana To Implement Pilot HIV/TB Program, Redesign Malaria Program, Health Minister Motsumi Says | Botswana's Health Minister Lesego Motsumi on Monday presented a pilot program to address HIV/tuberculosis coinfection and support health workers who are treating patients with HIV/TB coinfection, Mmegi reports. Motsumi said the increase in cases of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB in the country could undermine the decline in TB cases over the last five years, adding that increased TB prevention, care and support services are needed for both health workers and patients to slow the spread of the disease. The program will be rolled out in six hospitals and two clinics, Motsumi said. She added that the number of reported TB cases in the country decreased from 470 cases per 100,000 people in 2007 to 623 cases per 100,000 people in 2002. In addition, Mostumi said the Ministry of Health plans to redesign the country's malaria program and increase malaria control interventions, with the goal of eradicating the disease. She added that the number of unconfirmed malaria cases increased from an average of 3,446 cases in the first five weeks of each year between 2005 and 2008 to 4,933 cases in the same period of 2009 (Gaotlhobogwe, Mmegi, 3/4).
~Kaiser Family Network - 03/05/2009 | | | | (03/05) Helping HIV-positive teens in transition to adulthood | Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS has recognized that young people today are the AIDS generation meaning they have never known a world without HIV. Preventing HIV/AIDS transmission requires comprehensive and innovative programming that focuses on young adults. With more than half of new HIV/AIDS infections worldwide affecting young people age 15-24, and the highest infection rate being among young men of color having sex with men, it is critical to educate HIV-positive young adults with issues such as ...(continued)
~Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS - Spring Issue 2009 | | | | (03/05) New HIV Cases Reach Record High in Hong Kong, Officials Say | Hong Kong in 2008 recorded 435 new HIV cases, the highest number of annual new cases since record-keeping began in 1984 and a 5% increase from the 414 cases reported in 2007, Hong Kong's The Standard reports. Wong Ka-hing, a consultant for the Center for Health Protection, said the primary mode of HIV transmission continues to be sexual contact, with 145 cases occurring among men who have sex with men and 131 cases through heterosexual contact. "One thing to note is that in many countries, [MSM] sexual transmission is on the rise," Wong said, adding that this could be because of the difficulty reaching out to the MSM population ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/05/2009 | | | | (03/05) Video Game Aims To Teach Young People in Kenya About HIV/AIDS Prevention | A video game in Kenya -- called Pamoja Mtaani and launched through a partnership between Warner Bros. Entertainment and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- is teaching young people in the capital of Nairobi about HIV/AIDS risks and prevention strategies, VOA News reports. The game, which was developed and distributed by the private entertainment company Virtual Heroes, simulates real-life situations in which characters find themselves at risk of contracting HIV. The situations are made to represent realistic settings in the city. In order to advance to the next level of the game, players are required to make the best decisions to solve problems their characters face ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/05/2009 | | | | (03/04) Increasing Risk of HIV Among Older People, Doctors Failing To Diagnose Cases in Population, WHO Study Says | People ages 50 and older are more likely to have unprotected sex than younger groups, increasing their risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to a recently released World Health Organization study, Reuters UK reports. According to the WHO Bulletin report, "The Unexplored Story of HIV and Aging," physicians are failing to diagnose new HIV cases in this population because the virus still is considered to affect mostly younger populations. Older generations are "assumed not to be at risk," but HIV prevalence and incidence in people ages 50 and older "seem surprisingly high, and the risk factors are totally unexplored," the study said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/04/2009 | | | | (03/04) New York Times Examines Web Site on Male Circumcision | The New York Times on Tuesday examined a new Web site -- launched by the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, Family Health International, and several U.S. and British public health schools -- that aims to serve as a resource on male circumcision and HIV/AIDS. According to the Times, since WHO and UNAIDS two years ago recommended that male circumcision be made available in countries highly affected by HIV/AIDS to help reduce transmission of the virus through heterosexual sex, much "misinformation has circulated" regarding the procedure in some countries. In addition, there has been a "dangerous surge in complications as traditional healers without sterile instruments began offering cheap circumcisions," the Times reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/04/2009 | | | | (03/04) World Food Program Expands Program for HIV-Positive People in Rwanda | The World Food Programme recently expanded a project in Rwanda that provides food to HIV-positive people taking antiretroviral drugs, adding 10,000 participants and increasing the number of project sites from 61 to 138 across 18 districts in the country, the New Times/AllAfrica.com reports. The program is meant to provide food assistance in an effort to improve HIV-positive people's nutritional status and their ability to adhere to treatment regimens. Abdoulaye Balde, WFP country director and representative, said, "Everything has been put in place to take care of [HIV-positive people's] needs." He added that in addition to providing food assistance, WFP is providing patients with access to medical care in collaboration with several partners, including the International Center for AIDS Care Treatment Programs, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Partners in Health and Family Health International ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/04/2009 | | | | (03/03) AFP/MSN.com Examines Hospice for HIV-Positive People in Thailand | The Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu temple, a hospice for people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand, has provided care to more than 10,000 HIV-positive people out of the estimated 610,000 people living with the virus in the country, the AFP/MSN.com reports. People often come to the temple anonymously and without notice, according to AFP/MSN.com. The hospice was founded 17 years ago as a place to care for HIV/AIDS patients, many of whom face discrimination because of the high amount of stigma surrounding the disease. People can access some medical services, and the temple's principles are "steeped in its Buddhist faith," AFP/MSN.com reports ...(continued)
~03/03/2009 | | | | (03/03) 'Sesame Street' Program in Nigeria Aims To Spread HIV/AIDS Awareness Messages to Children | The television show "Sesame Street" is launching a program in Nigeria -- called "The Adventures of Kami and Big Bird" -- that aims to teach children about HIV/AIDS, the Sunday Tasmanian reports. Supported by funding from the United States, the program will include original videos and workbooks. Kami -- a character from the South African version of the show, called Takalani Sesame -- is HIV-positive and also is an AIDS orphan. She aims to teach children how to deal with loss and grief using a child-friendly approach. The show is expected to reach 30,000 children in Nigeria, many of whom are orphans or vulnerable children. Educational consultant Ayobisi Osuntusa said that there are about 240,000 HIV cases reported among children in Nigeria. He added, "Education about this disease and how to prevent it needs to begin in early childhood, and who better to construct groundwork for the future than the organization that set the gold standard for educational programming?" (Sunday Tasmanian, 3/1).
~Kaiser Network - 03/03/2009 | | | | (03/02) Washington Post Examines Program in India To Promote Safer-Sex Messages | The Washington Post on Monday examined a project in India in which health workers "re-spin" safer-sex messages to emphasize the pleasure-related benefits of such practices. The initiative was launched by Anne Philpott, founder of the Pleasure Project. According to the Post, Philpott began the program after promoting female condoms in India, Sri Lanka, Senegal and Zimbabwe as an "erotic accessory." In addition, over the last four years she has "pushed the pleasure principle at AIDS conferences in Bangkok, Sri Lanka and Mexico," the Post reports. "The whole debate about safe sex has been conducted around fear, danger, disease and death," Philpott said, adding, "It is negative. We forgot the pursuit of pleasure. We have to put the sexy back into safer sex." According to Philpott, safer-sex messages often are treated in a "clinical manner or like a teacher wagging their finger." She added that it is "more effective" when health workers find "creative ways to incorporate pleasure and desire into the sexual-health dialogue" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 03/02/2009 | | | | (03/02) Press Association Profiles British HIV/AIDS Advocates Who Plan To Build Clinics in Africa | The Press Association on Thursday profiled two British HIV/AIDS advocates who plan to drive from London to South Africa to help build HIV clinics and raise money for the One to One Children's Fund. Jon Beswick, a London architect, and Charlie Curtis, a strategy consultant for the firm Capgemini, said they plan to build waiting rooms for the fund's clinics in an effort to curb the spread of tuberculosis among HIV-positive children. The fund works with more than 100 health clinics in 21 African countries, the Press Association reports. Beswick and Curtis will travel in a specially modified Land Rover and plan to sell advertising space on the outside of the vehicle to raise money for building materials and wages for local people to build the shelters, with any extra funding donated to One to One. They hope to raise about 10,000 British pounds -- or about $14,272 -- and plan to travel through 40 African countries for about six to nine months, according to the Press Association ...(continued0
~Kaiser Network - 03/02/2009 | | | February, 2009 | | (02/27) VOA News Profiles HIV/AIDS Counselor Who Works in Washington, D.C. | VOA News on Wednesday profiled Pernell Williams, an HIV/AIDS counselor in Washington, D.C., who provides HIV testing and counseling at the Whitman-Walker Clinic's Max Robinson Center. The D.C. Department of Health reports that 80% of HIV/AIDS cases in the city occur among blacks. Williams provides help to people who test positive by guiding them to other HIV services in the clinic and the community. In addition, he provides counseling on HIV prevention and risk reduction ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/27/2009 | | | | (02/27) Colo. Senate Passes Bill Requiring HIV Testing for Pregnant Women | The Colorado Senate on Wednesday approved a bill (S.B. 179) requiring HIV testing for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of the virus, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports. The bill would make several changes to a current state law regarding communicable diseases, and the HIV provision allows pregnant women to opt out of testing. Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D), a nurse and the bill's sponsor, said the risk of MTCT can be reduced from 25% to about 2% with drugs and preventive care. Sen. Dave Schultheis (R) was the only senator to vote against the bill, saying that if more infants are born HIV-positive, society will be taught about the risks of promiscuous sex (Colorado Springs Gazette, 2/25). During the bill's debate, Schultheis said sexual promiscuity "causes a lot of problems in our state, one of which, obviously, is the contraction of HIV" (Ingold, Denver Post, 2/26) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/27/2009 | | | | (02/27) Campaign in Mozambique Aims To Increase Awareness About Sexual Abuse of Girls, Prevent Spread of HIV | A campaign financed by ActionAid International called "No to Sexual Abuse of Girls in Education" has led to a network of clubs for girls in schools and communities in the Manica province of Mozambique, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The campaign's goal is to reduce sexual abuse of girls, and since 2006, 30 clubs in the province have been established that work with neighborhood watch groups to report cases of abuse to authorities. The groups also publicize laws regarding sexual abuse. According to IRIN/PlusNews, there were four cases of sexual abuse of girls reported in 2008 in the province, down from 15 cases reported in 2007. IRIN/PlusNews also profiled one of the four cases, which involved a seven-year-old girl who was raped and later tested positive for HIV (IRIN/PlusNews, 2/25) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/27/2009 | | | | (02/26) What Will Health Reform Do for Me? | There is one poll number that may be more important to watch than any other if we have a big debate about health reform: The percentage of Americans who think that they or their families would be better off if the president and the Congress enacted major health reform legislation. It's a number that signals whether people think that health reform legislation will actually help them with the problems they are having in the current health care system. Or, whether critics of health reform are successfully playing on the public's underlying fears -- fairly or unfairly, depending on your perspective -- as they did in the last health reform debate in the early 1990s. According to our latest tracking poll just out this week, 38% of the American people think that health reform would make them or their family better off and 11% think they would be worse off. Democrats, younger people, and lower income people are much more likely to think they would benefit. Forty-three percent of the American people think health reform will have no impact on them. Of those who think they will be unaffected, 38% are Democrats and more likely to be pro reform in general based on our polling; 24% are Republicans, who are less likely to favor reform; and 30% are independents ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/26/2009 | | | | (02/25) A Message from Cable Positive | Dear Friend:
Cable Positive is excited to announce the call for entries into our 2009 Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) Awards, honoring exceptional HIV/AIDS-related cable television. Original programming aired from January 1 - December 31, 2008 is eligible for recognition in the following categories:
* Outstanding Biographical Program
* Outstanding Community Partnership (for cable systems and local cable outlets)
* Outstanding Documentary
* Outstanding News Coverage
* Outstanding News Magazine
* Outstanding Original Film/Movie
* Outstanding Original Series
* Outstanding Public Service Announcement (PSA)
* Outstanding Special Programming
* Outstanding Public Service Announcement (PSA)
* Outstanding Program
* Outstanding Original Spanish Language Public Service Announcement (PSA)
* Outstanding Original Spanish Language Programming
* POP Network of the Year
The POP Awards demonstrate the important role cable television has in promoting HIV/AIDS prevention, raising awareness and reducing stigma and fear surrounding the disease. Past winners have come from networks like Univision, CNN, MTV, BET, and Showtime. Entry Deadline is March 20, 2009. Applications are available by clicking title. Nominees for the 8th Annual POP Awards will be announced in the spring of 2009.
Thank you, Max Johnson Cable Positive
~Cable Positive - 02/25/2009 | | | | (02/25) Majority of Ex-Inmates in Texas Delay HIV Treatment, Study Finds | A majority of HIV-positive prison inmates in Texas do not fill their prescriptions in an appropriate amount of time after release, creating a threat to public health, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Houston Chronicle reports. According to researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, Baylor College of Medicine, and other universities in Texas and other states, the study is the first to track people living with HIV from prison release to care on the outside. Researchers studied 2,115 inmates living with HIV in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system between 2004 and 2007. They found that 5.4% filled their prescriptions within 10 days of release, while 15.5% did so within 30 days and 30% within 60 days (Ackerman, Houston Chronicle, 2/24). According to the researchers, 90% or more of the inmates did not fill a prescription soon enough to avoid interruptions in their treatment regimens. The study also found that black and Hispanic inmates were 60% less likely than white inmates to fill a prescription within 10 days of release, and 30% less likely to do so within 30 days, according to Reuters ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/25/2009 | | | | (02/25) Actor Moore To Donate Funds to Program That Trains Swazis To Perform Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention | Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Moore on Monday announced that he plans to donate proceeds from a concert in Israel to a program in which Israeli physicians train health workers in Swaziland to perform male circumcisions in an effort to curb the spread of HIV, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/24). Moore will donate the proceeds from an appearance at the fourth International Eilat Chamber Music Festival, according to the Jerusalem Post. "Prevention is the best cure of disease," Moore said (Siegel-Itzkovich, Jerusalem Post, 2/24) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/25/2009 | | | | (02/25) Isolation, Lack of Knowledge Place Indigenous Community in Kenya at Risk of HIV, Advocates Say | Some nongovernmental organizations and HIV/AIDS advocates in Kenya warn that one of East Africa's last remaining hunter-gatherer communities could be at an increased risk of HIV because of their isolation and lack of awareness, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Pattita Tiongoi -- a program officer with the Centre for Minority Rights and Development, which advocates for the rights of Kenya's indigenous people -- said that it is not uncommon for the Ogiek people, who number around 20,000, to be completely ignorant of HIV because there are no "campaigns at all directed at them." She added that the government does not "even have statistics about the prevalence amongst them" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/25/2009 | | | | (02/24) Caribbean Should Decriminalize Homosexuality To Help Fight Spread of HIV, Lewis Says | The Caribbean will not make significant gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS if governments in the region do not act to decriminalize homosexuality, Stephen Lewis, director of AIDS-Free World, said recently while visiting the region, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports. According to Lewis, the MSM community, "often disparaged, abused and certainly discriminated against, in order to seize legitimacy has sex with women," thus spreading the virus further into the general population. Lewis, the former United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said that it is a "profound error in judgment not to understand that if you are going to deal with the pandemic and subdue it, you have to deal with" MSM and decriminalize homosexuality. Lewis said that current laws in the region "give legitimacy and authenticity to the stigma and discrimination which so harasses the gay community." Legislation aimed at ending discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS will be ineffective if homosexuality continues to be illegal, he said (Caribbean Media Corporation, 2/23).
~Kaiser Network - 02/24/2009 | | | | (02/24) Thai Health Officials Propose New Regulation Allowing Teens To Receive HIV Test Without Parental Consent | The Medical Council of Thailand recently proposed a new regulation that would allow teenagers younger than age 18 to receive no-cost HIV tests without parental consent, the Bangkok Post reports. The council also is planning to draft a regulation that would allow teens to keep their medical records confidential ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/24/2009 | | | | (02/23) About 42% of Pregnant Women in Swaziland Are Living With HIV, Report Says | About 42% of pregnant women in Swaziland are HIV-positive, an increase of 3% since last year, according to a government report that was released on Friday, the AP/Google.com reports. According to the report, the increase likely is because more women's lives are being prolonged through improved access to antiretroviral drugs. About 185,000 people in Swaziland -- which has a population of one million and the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate worldwide -- are living with HIV. About 30,000 people have access to antiretrovirals in the country, and average life expectancy is 37 years ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/23/2009 | | | | (02/23) A Message from AVAC: | Dear Advocates,
We're excited to introduce the Clearinghouse on Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention -- www.malecircumcision.org -- a new web-based resource on male circumcision for HIV prevention that AVAC, Family Health International (FHI) and WHO/UNAIDS have developed.
Launched today, the website provides a comprehensive array of materials including recent publications, technical guidance documents, reports from civil society forums, summaries of the research to date, reports from countries and programs as they emerge, as well as discussions of issues that require attention going forward.
Introducing male circumcision for HIV prevention in a way that optimizes its benefits and minimizes risks to both men and women can only happen through communication, information sharing, discussion and dialogue with health providers, policy makers, advocates, activists, donors and many other communities. We hope that this website serves as a resource for these conversations.
AVAC will be continuing its collaboration with FHI and WHO/UNAIDS to maintain and expand the content. We are especially interested in developments in civil society engagement, and continuing our ongoing work around the implications of male circumcision for women and other civil society concerns. If you have resources, questions or needs you'd like to share around these issues please send them on, either to avac@avac.org or info@malecircumcision.org.
Below we've included the full press release regarding the launch. As always, we'd love to hear what you think!
~AVAC - 02/23/2009 | | | | (02/23) Traditional HIV/AIDS Awareness Messages Not Effective Among Young Minorities, Study Finds | College-aged minorities living in Chicago do not trust the HIV/AIDS prevention messages being presented to them and are less likely to seek treatment as a result, according to a study to be released next week at the Illinois Youth and HIV/AIDS Forum, the Chi-Town Daily News reports. The study -- which Chicago-based not-for-profit Children's Place Association funded and researchers from the University of Chicago conducted -- looked at seven focus groups that totaled about 70 college-aged people and included blacks, Hispanics and whites of both sexes and gay men ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/23/20009 | | | | (02/20) Economic Crisis in Southeast Asia Could Lead to Unsafe Migration Patterns, Increase Risk of HIV/AIDS, Officials Say | During a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bangkok, Thailand, last week, officials discussed how the global economic crisis could affect migrant workers and the spread of HIV in the region, Thailand's The Nation reports. The meeting included a discussion among officials from member countries' Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health and Labor; United Nations agencies; the ASEAN secretariat; and other organizations. Officials said that the economic downturn could affect the lives of migrant workers as the number of such workers returning to the region might increase as the number of people who have lost their jobs overseas increases. In addition, people who have recently lost jobs in Southeast Asia could move overseas in search of work ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/20/2009 | | | | (02/20) Boston Globe Examines Rwandan Rape Survivors Photo Series | The Boston Globe on Thursday examined a photographic portrait series by Jonathan Torgovnik called "Intended Consequences: Rwandan Children Born of Rape," which depicts some of the estimated 20,000 Tutsi rape survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide who had children following the rapes. Torgovnik said he was inspired to take the photographs after a 2006 trip to Rwanda, during which he met a woman living with HIV. The woman said she had contracted the virus after begin raped by members of the Hutu militia during the genocide, and then gave birth to a son as a result of one of the rapes. "They are suffering multiple traumas," Torgovnik said, adding, "They have to live with the memories of the genocide and their families being murdered in front of them, of being raped multiple times and humiliated, of having a child from this experience and most of them also of contracting HIV from this experience. And then they are rejected by their families and their communities because of the stigma associated with rape, HIV and of having a 'child of the militia.'" Torgovnik and filmmaker Jules Shell have launched a foundation, called Foundation Rwanda, to pay for medical care, school tuition and other services, and raise awareness worldwide about the situation (Taylor, Boston Globe, 2/19).
~Kaiser Network - 02/20/2009 | | | | (02/19) Vancouver Anti-Drug Efforts Might Increase Area's HIV Risk, Advocates Say | Advocates in Vancouver, Canada, in a Feb. 10 letter said that the city police department's 2009 business plan to increase drug enforcement for the Downtown Eastside area also could increase the spread of HIV, the Vancouver Courier reports. The letter -- signed by seven not-for-profit organizations and scheduled to go before the police department board on Wednesday -- was sent to Police Chief Jim Chu and Mayor Gregor Robertson. It said the plan to increase patrols, street checks and ticketing in an area "whose population is disproportionately disabled, aboriginal, HIV-positive and hepatitis C-positive" could increase the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, as well as "limit access to critical health services and will not achieve its desired goals." The Courier reports that the business plan also calls for a priority on seizing drugs rather than prosecuting people for simple drug possession. The letter was signed by directors of AIDS Vancouver, the Positive Women's Network, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the YouthCO AIDS Society, the Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and the British Columbia Person with AIDS Society ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/19/2009 | | | | (02/19) Essay Contest - Kaiser Foundation | Deadline for submission is March 2, 2009: KaiserEDU.org is now accepting entries for its Annual Essay Contest, giving undergraduate and graduate students a chance to win a prize of $1,000 by writing an essay addressing the elements of health reform that President Obama's team should focus on in 2009.
TOPIC: President Obama has stated that reforming the health care system is one of his top priorities, and there is broad interest from policymakers and the public in making a change. During the campaign, he outlined a framework for reforming health care. The essay should cover: what elements of his plan should be prioritized given the current economic crisis, what elements are most likely to garner support and which ones will be most challenging and why? Click title for full details.
~Kaiser Network - 02/19/2009 | | | | (02/18) Boston Globe Profiles HIV/AIDS Researcher Walker | The Boston Globe on Tuesday profiled Bruce Walker, an HIV/AIDS specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Harvard Medical School professor. Walker in 2001 traveled to Durban, South Africa -- a trip that "set in motion a chain of ever-deepening involvement" for Walker and his research team at MGH, which includes playing "a leading role in the global hunt for an AIDS vaccine" -- according to the Globe. The Globe reports that Walker has raised tens of millions of dollars from American benefactors to support "innovative projects" in South Africa that include treatment, training and research programs. According to the Globe, Walker's work has "transformed his career and touched many lives in Boston as well as South Africa" (Smith, Boston Globe, 2/17) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/18/2009 | | | | (02/18) Brazil To Target Older Women in Prevention Campaign, Increase Condom Distribution During Carnival Season | An increase in the number of HIV cases among women older than age 50 in Brazil has led the government to target the population with a new prevention campaign launched on Friday to coincide with festivities during Carnival, Inter Press Service reports. HIV prevalence among the population has more than tripled since 1996, from 3.7 HIV cases per 100,000 women over age 50 to 11.6 cases per 100,000 in 2006. A survey by the Ministry of Health revealed that although 55.3% of women between ages 50 and 64 are sexually active, only 28% are using condoms with casual partners, or men who are not regular partners. Health Minister Jose Temporao said the trend is "worrying" in light of the increase in HIV cases among older women. According to Inter Press Service, HIV prevalence among the general population has stabilized, and about 630,000 people are living with the virus ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/18/2009 | | | | (02/18) Broadcasters Join Global Response to Stem Spread of HIV and Challenge Stigma | Menlo Park , CA, 18 February 2009 – Senior executives of leading media companies from Latin America announced the establishment of the Iniciativa de Medios Latinoamericanos sobre el SIDA (IMLAS) – the first Latin American Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS. This announcement follows a meeting last month held in conjunction with the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Conference. Organized in response to the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI), a U.N.-supported effort launched in 2004 by the Kaiser Family Foundation together with UNAIDS to mobilize media around the world in response to the pandemic, the new Partnership promotes collaboration and leverages resources among media across the region to increase knowledge and reduce stigma.
Founding members of IMLAS include: Canal 13 (Argentina), Ecuavisa (Ecuador), TC Television (Ecuador), Telefe (Argentina), Televisa (Mexico), TV Azteca (Mexico), and TV Globo (Brazil). The Partnership will work to expand its membership across Latin America, with the goal of uniting the region’s broadcast community in response to AIDS. The GMAI has partnered with Fundación Huésped, a non-governmental organization based in Buenos Aires, to provide day-to-day operational support for IMLAS.
Recognizing the unique power of media to inform, connect with life-saving services, and challenge stereotypes, participating broadcast executives agreed to develop and coordinate a series of concrete initiatives, including a regional public information campaign and journalism workshops and other skills-building programs. Other broadcasters from the across the region will be encouraged to join the coalition to extend reach.
“Last year, Mexico City hosted the XVII International AIDS Conference, during which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa called on global leaders to focus attention and resources on the global AIDS crisis, including the often overlooked, but growing, pandemic in Latin America,” said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director of Media Partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is the Secretariat for the Global Media AIDS Initiative. “This commitment by Latin American broadcasters is an important step toward motivating social change and delivering life-saving information to young people across the region.”
“Although Latin America is the third most impacted region of the world in terms of the number of people living with HIV/AIDS, after Africa and the Caribbean, the epidemic in the region is often invisible. The decision by mass media to come together in an effort to increase the amount and quality of the information they offer through different programming formats creates an unprecedented opportunity to reach our audiences with information, link them to resources, and challenge stigma,” said Leandro Cahn, Director of Communication of Fundación Huésped.
Since its inception, the GMAI has launched coordinated, large-scale media partnerships in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. The IMLAS marks the first such mobilization in Latin America and the fifth GMAI-supported regional media coalition.
~Kaiser Network - 02/18/2009 | | | | (02/17) Australia, Indonesia Sign Agreement To Expand HIV/AIDS Services in Jakarta | Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer and Fauzi Bowo, governor of Indonesia's capital of Jakarta, on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding to expand HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment at 30 community health centers in the city, the Jakarta Post reports. The agreement "represents another step forward for HIV prevention and treatment in Indonesia," Farmer said, adding that Australia is "proud to be assisting Indonesia in its commitment to combat the spread of HIV and support those already living with the virus" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/17/2009 | | | | (02/17) Uganda's Ministry of Health To Reintroduce Female Condoms | Uganda's Ministry of Health will reintroduce female condoms as part of its HIV/AIDS prevention program in response to increased demand, IRIN/PlusNews reports. According to IRIN/PlusNews, the government in 2007 halted distribution of the female condom because of insufficient demand and complaints that the condoms were not user-friendly. However, a recent health ministry analysis determined that women in the country sought an HIV prevention method that allowed them control over preventing sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unintended pregnancies ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/17/2009 | | | | (02/13) Women's HIV/AIDS Coalition in Malawi Encourages Participation in Farming Program, Better Nutrition Practices | The Coalition of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi has launched a program to bring HIV-positive women together to grow crops in an effort to improve their access to better nutrition and help maintain their health, VOA News reports. The coalition -- which is running the program in the northern district of Rumphi, Malawi -- also is encouraging members to rear a variety of farm animals. Formed with support from ActionAid International, the program engages women in development activities and teaches them to grow nutritious foods, according to the district's food nutrition officer, Memory Chirwa ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/12/2009 | | | | (02/13) New Initiatives Aim To Reduce Spread of HIV Among Couples in Kenya | New HIV/AIDS guidelines in Kenya will include door-to-door testing services in an effort to address the increasing spread of the disease among couples in the country, the Daily Nation reports. Additional initiatives include self-testing, national testing campaigns, and an added emphasis on couple, family, infant and child diagnosis, according to officials at the launch of the National Guidelines for HIV Testing and Counseling in the capital of Nairobi. James Gesami, assistant minister of Public Health and Sanitation, said that the "focus on people in marriages and relationships" will be included in the country's HIV testing and counseling programs as they are among the "areas of concern." The Nation reports that almost 50% of new HIV cases are recorded among married couples and that the new guidelines will attempt to reduce the trend. The Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey indicates that 45% of married people living with the virus have a partner who is HIV-negative -- meaning that about 350,000 couples in the country are discordant ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/12/2009 | | | | (02/12) Efforts To Help Children Affected by HIV/AIDS Should Focus on Families, Report Says | Family mechanisms of support should become the focus of efforts to help children affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to a report released Tuesday by the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS, AFP/Google.com reports. The study -- called "Home Truths: Facing the Facts on Children, AIDS and Poverty" -- calls on initiatives that aim to help the two million HIV-positive children worldwide, as well as the estimated 12 million AIDS orphans, to refocus their efforts on the family ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/11/2009 | | | | (02/11) TB Cases Increasing in Tanzania Because of High HIV Prevalence, Other Factors, Health Official Says | The number of reported tuberculosis cases is increasing in Tanzania in part because of high HIV prevalence, weak health infrastructure and poverty, Fred Lwilla, senior program officer at the country's National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program, said recently in Tanzania's capital of Dar es Salaam, the Guardian/IPP Media reports.
Lwilla said that being HIV-positive is the greatest risk factor for TB, adding that a lack of awareness about the link between the two diseases is hindering government efforts to control TB. He said that increased food insecurity and malnutrition in the country could have a negative effect on HIV/AIDS and TB, adding, "There is therefore a need for improving TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS through intensified TB case finding, preventive therapy and infection control." In addition, TB and HIV programs should integrate services, and affected communities should work together to reduce the TB burden among HIV-positive people, Lwilla said.
Lwilla also called on the media to increase coverage of TB, saying, "TB should be given prominence in news coverage so that the disease could be well known to the people." He noted that media coverage of HIV/AIDS has led to increased knowledge of the disease among the general public but that TB has not received adequate media coverage (Kigwangallah, Guardian/IPP Media, 2/10).
~Kaiser Network - 02/11/2009 | | | | (02/11) Unaware of hep C for 20 years | Chrissie became infected following a blood transfusion after giving birth. For 20 years Chrissie Semple carried the hepatitis C virus without knowing it. She had become infected after a blood transfusion in Germany following a Caesarean section for her youngest daughter. Recent statistics show there are about 100,000 people like Chrissie who are unsuspecting carriers of hep C ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/11/2009 | | | | (02/11) Beware of Reused Syringes When You Get a Shot | For all of the discussion of fancy new technologies that pose problems in health care, it’s sometimes the simple things that create daily trouble. Like shots. Unsafe injection practices have contributed to outbreaks of hepatitis in the U.S. in recent years, and are a leading cause of infections in doctors’ offices, outpatient clinics and long-term care facilities, Laura Landro writes this morning. Also, take a look at our posts from last year about a Nevada outbreak of hepatitis C tied to unsafe use of syringes ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/11/2009 | | | | (02/11) HIV-Positive People Might Benefit From Early Treatment, Study Presented at CROI Indicates | HIV-positive people who begin drug regimens soon after infection might have better treatment outcomes than those who delay taking medication, according to a study presented Monday at the 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal, Canada, Bloomberg reports. Radjin Steingrover of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam presented the study. Peter Leone -- HIV/AIDS researcher at the University of North Carolina and medical director of the North Carolina Department of Health's HIV department -- said that the study is the first to demonstrate that immediate treatment might benefit people living with HIV ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/11/2009 | | | | (02/11) Champions for HIV-Free Generation Officials Visit Mozambique; Mogae Urges for Increased Action Against Disease | Festus Mogae, the former president of Botswana, on Monday in Mozambique's capital of Maputo said that Africans should not give up on the fight against HIV/AIDS, adding that despite the efforts already made on the continent, much more is required, AIM/AllAfrica.com reports. Mogae said, "We must not desist. We have already done a lot, but Africans need to do a lot more to finish this pandemic." According to Mogae, one of the "factors that facilitates the spread of HIV/AIDS is that men have many partners, many girlfriends, and that's a problem." He added, "We can do a lot about this. We have to change our behavior" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/11/2009 | | | | (02/10) Condom Price Increases in Ukraine Cause Concern About Spread of HIV, Other STIs | Recent increases in condom prices in Ukraine have led some advocates to express concerns about a possible corresponding rise in the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Russia Today reports. Since October 2008, the price of condoms in Ukraine has increased by 40% to 60%, possibly as a result of the declining value of Ukrainian currency. In addition, retailers and the country's only condom distributor have encountered difficulty obtaining credit, and local condom producers have limited cash flow. According to advocates, the price increases could particularly affect young people in Ukraine because they are the country's major condom purchasers despite having the least money to spend. According to Russia Today, the not-for-profit organization Anti-AIDS has warned that Ukraine could face increases in the spread of HIV and other STIs as a result of the condom price increases. Ukraine has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in Europe, with 19,000 new HIV cases diagnosed in 2008, Russia Today reports (Russia Today, 2/5).
~Kaiser Network - 02/09/2009 | | | | (02/10) Experimental Microbicide Shows Small Level of Protection Against HIV for Women, Study Presented at CROI Indicates | Research has shown "a small amount of protection from a vaginal gel that acts by binding up the AIDS virus and preventing it from invading cells," according to a study presented Monday at the 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal, Canada, the Washington Post reports (Brown, Washington Post, 2/10). The experimental microbicide, called PRO 2000 and manufactured by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, is designed to prevent HIV from attaching to certain white blood cells. According to the study -- which primarily aimed to test the gel's safety -- the PRO 2000 gel is 30% effective in preventing HIV infection. Although the findings are not statistically significant, the study is the first to demonstrate a possible beneficial effect from using microbicides. According to NIH, an effectiveness rate of 33% would be statistically significant ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/10/2009 | | | | (02/09) HIV Disproportionately Affecting Blacks in U.S., Fauci Says | HIV/AIDS is disproportionately affecting blacks in the U.S., with almost half of all new infections occurring in the population, Anthony Fauci, director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said recently, Reuters reports. According to Fauci's statement, which was released to mark National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Saturday, blacks comprise 12% of the U.S. population but account for almost 50% of all people living with HIV in the country. Fauci pointed to the majority black city of Washington, D.C., where one in 20 residents is living with HIV -- about the same proportion of people in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, one in 50 district residents has developed AIDS, according to Fauci ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/09/2009 | | | | (02/06) Financial Gazette Examines HIV/TB Coinfection in Southern Africa | The Financial Gazette on Friday examined challenges associated with HIV/tuberculosis coinfection in Southern Africa. According to the Gazette, although TB and HIV/AIDS are leading causes of death in many African countries, many people are unaware of their TB or HIV status. Tim France, a physician at a Thai health and development organization, said the global health community should "stop thinking of the two diseases in separate bodies." He added that HIV and TB programs should increase spending and efforts to treat the two diseases. Some HIV and TB advocates have said the media should promote awareness and education of HIV/TB coinfection among the general public. Joshua Chigodora, a resource center program officer at the Southern Africa AIDS Information Dissemination Service, recently called on the media to highlight challenges associated with HIV/TB coinfection, saying, "It's time to transfer HIV advocacy skills to TB advocacy." According to SAFAIDS, the "mandate for the media to advocate greater awareness of the linkages between TB and HIV is even more pronounced" because of the increase in multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB (Financial Gazette, 2/6).
~Kaiser Network - 02/06/2009 | | | | (02/06) MMWR Looks At Increase in HIV Cases, Risk Factors Among Black MSM in Jackson, Miss. | A survey of 29 black men who have sex with men in Jackson, Miss., identified some common behaviors that place them at a risk of contracting HIV, according to a study published Friday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports. The risk factors include unprotected anal intercourse, sex with men who were older, and not seeking annual HIV tests. According to Reuters, CDC released the report to coincide with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which will take place Feb. 7 (Reuters Health, 2/5) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/06/2009 | | | | (02/05) The View from Under the Bus: HIV and STD Funding Becomes Lightening Rod for Stimulus Foes | In his inaugural address, President Obama vowed to "restore science to its rightful place," refreshing words after eight long years of an administration that placed ideology over data, time and again. The detrimental impact of STDs, including HIV, on the American public—most particularly among people of color and gay men—is clear. And the persistent under-funding of science-based prevention and sound public health infrastructure to combat these and other infectious diseases is now worsening due to the economic crisis. Yet, in debates about the economic stimulus bill, science and public health seems to have once again been put asunder when it comes to the inclusion of funds to combat STDs – even though the short-term spending would create jobs and protect the nation's health ...(continued)
~Champ Network - 02/05/2009 | | | | (02/05) President of African First Ladies Group Calls for Increased Political Power Among Women To Fight HIV/AIDS | Ethiopian first lady Azeb Mesfin, the newly elected president of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS, recently said that women in Africa need increased political power to effectively fight HIV/AIDS on the continent, the Panafrican News Agency reports. Mesfin in her inaugural address said that African women "must have access to power. If we want to win the war against the poverty, we must empower them also to fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic." Mainstream politics in Africa often marginalize women, leaving them without the power to influence decisions on their social and economic development, Mesfin said, adding that women "must be free to make choices to reduce HIV/AIDS" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/05/2009 | | | | (02/05) Jordan's Health Ministry Launches HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign Aimed at University Students | Jordan's Ministry of Health has launched an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign at the country's University of Science and Technology and plans to implement the campaign in all 50 public and private universities and colleges nationwide, Bassam Hijjawi, director of the department of disease control, announced on Monday, the Jordan Times reports. According to Hijjawi, the one-year campaign promotes HIV testing among students and will be run in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/05/2009 | | | | (02/05) Food Shortages in Lesotho Affecting HIV-Positive People | IRIN/PlusNews on Tuesday examined the effect of Lesotho's food crisis on HIV-positive people in the country, many of whom are unable to obtain nutritious food. According to IRIN/PlusNews, Lesotho's food production has suffered in recent years from erratic weather, soil erosion and the burden of HIV/AIDS on the subsistence farming system. HIV-positive people need to consume 10% to 30% more calories than HIV-negative people, and people who take antiretroviral drugs on an empty stomach can feel sicker. In addition, the effectiveness of the medicine can be reduced without proper nutrition, IRIN/PlusNews reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/05/2009 | | | | (02/04) THE STATE OF AIDS IN BLACK AMERICA 2009 | The 2009 edition of the Black AIDS Institute’s annual State of AIDS in Black America report lays out both the promise and the peril of the unique moment at which we’ve arrived in this epidemic. On one hand, the historic election of Barack Obama and a congressional majority that has been more supportive of the AIDS fight offers great opportunity. Similarly, Black America is engaged in the struggle to end AIDS like never before. Together, these two realities could create real, lasting change in the course of this epidemic. At the same time, 2008 witnessed great setbacks, particularly in the effort to prevent the virus’ spread. We are seeing the outcome of too many years of neglect, at both the governmental and communal level. Click title to see whole article.
~Black AIDS Institutes - 02/04/2009 | | | | (02/04) Indonesia Launching HIV/AIDS Program To Target Most-Affected Provinces | Indonesia plans to use a $130 million grant from the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for a program that will focus on the 12 provinces most affected by HIV/AIDS in the country, BBC News reports. According to BBC News, for the program to be successful, it will have to focus on marginalized populations -- such as commercial sex workers, injection drug users and men who have sex with men -- that have "not always been well-targeted in the past" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/03/2009
| | | | (02/04) Ugandan Officials Express Concern About Commercial Sex Workers Who Re-Use Female Condoms | Officials and HIV/AIDS advocates in Uganda during a recent meeting expressed concern about commercial sex workers in the country's capital of Kampala who re-use female condoms to protect themselves from contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted infections, Uganda's New Vision reports. The meeting, organized by Uganda's Ministry of Health and Population Services International, aimed to determine the best strategies for marketing female condoms ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/03/2009 | | | | (02/04) Needle-Exchange Programs Not Widely Available in Ireland, Report Says | Needle-exchange programs are not widely available in most of Ireland, which could be increasing the risk of HIV and other infectious diseases among injection drug users, according to a government-appointed report recently released by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and the National Drugs Strategy Team, the Irish Examiner reports. The report found that six out of 10 regional drug task forces do not provide needle-exchange services but have IDUs living in the area. In addition, task forces that do provide needle-exchange services -- primarily located in the capital of Dublin and on the east coast -- often do not make the services available on a 24-hour basis or on weekends. According to the report, the "review of the current provision of needle exchange clearly highlights the fact that, despite the identification of service needs and the inclusion of specific actions in the (National Drugs Strategy) on development of services, provision is still largely concentrated in local drug task force areas with inadequate coverage at a national level despite the evidence of drug misuse throughout Ireland" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/04/2009 | | | | (02/03) Hepatitis C Treatment for Active Injection Drug Users and People on Methadone Maintenance | Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is efficiently transmitted via shared needles and other injection equipment, and chronic hepatitis C is therefore common among injection drug users (IDUs). In June 2008, Joseph Amon with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and colleagues, who looked at more than 5,000 IDUs in four large U.S. cities, reported an overall HCV prevalence rate of 65% during 1994-1996, falling to 35% by 2002-2004. In some IDU networks, however, researchers have seen rates as high as 90% ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/03) For Family and Friends: Caring for Someone with Hepatitis C | The information in this guide is designed to help you understand and manage HCV and is not intended as medical advice. All persons with HCV should consult a medical practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of HCV. Permission to reprint this document is granted and encouraged with credit to the author and the Hepatitis C Support Project ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/03) Mark Your Calendars: The Race Is On! | The marathon race to bring the next hepatitis C drug to the market is coming to a close. In the last couple of weeks, both Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX) have announced that their phase 3 trials have finished enrolling patients ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/03) Theater Project Aims To Increase HIV/AIDS Awareness in Namibia's Farming Sector | In an effort to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Namibia's farming sector, the Agricultural Employers Association has requested that Quiet Storm, an industrial theater group, perform informative plays to its members, Namibia's New Era reports. The program was initiated by Pharm Access -- a nongovernmental organization that provides health care, including HIV/AIDS treatment ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/02) Applying for Social Security Disability Online | Applying for disability benefits from Social Security can be a cumbersome and slow process. Due to staffing that has not kept up with the demand, it can take anywhere from six to twenty-six weeks or even longer to get a decision on your claim. Just starting the process can be time consuming due to the amount of paperwork required to start a claim. Once the paperwork is turned in to the Social Security office, someone there then has to enter all that information into their computer system. Because of that, it can take up to two weeks for the file to be opened in their system and sent to the Analyst to actually begin work on it ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/02) Final Steps with HCV: An HCSP Guide on Death and Dying | The information in this guide is designed to help you understand and manage HCV and is not intended as medical advice. All persons with HCV should consult a medical practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of HCV. Permission to reprint this document is granted and encouraged with credit to the author and the Hepatitis C Support Project. Click title to read.
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/02) Easy Hepatitis Facts: | Welcome to HCSP Fact Sheet Web page. The three different types of fact sheets are geared towards different audiences depending on their need or requirement for information. The Fact Sheets range from short, easy to understand, but relevant information to the more technical aspects of hepatitis C. Click title to read.
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/02) Father's warning over killer disease | A TORQUAY father has shared his experience of the silent killer hepatitis C, as the Department of Health launches a new campaign to highlight the seriousness of the illness today. Simon, 36, a student at Exeter University, says he contracted the disease as a result of 14 years of intravenous drug use, but he has since turned his life around ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | | (02/02) 100,000 unaware they have hepatitis C, poll suggests | Around a third of people don't know how hepatitis C can be passed from person to person, according to new research commissioned by the Department of Health (DH), published today (26 January 2009). The findings come as a major hepatitis C awareness campaign is launched to reach out to the estimated 100,000 people in England who are unaware they have the infection and stop others getting it ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/09 | | | | (02/02) Hepatitis C won't wait | Martin Brook says the government is stalling on his compensation package after he contracted hepatitis C from a tainted blood transfusion. The black hospital pager rests on the coffee table by his side, a messenger of hope he watches anxiously for news that a new liver has been found to replace the one dying inside him from hepatitis C ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 02/02/2009 | | | January, 2009 | | (01/30) Proponents of Female Genital Cutting in Kenya Promoting It as HIV Prevention Method | Some proponents of female genital cutting in Kisii, Kenya, are claiming that the practice will reduce a woman's risk of contracting HIV, IRIN/PlusNews reports. These proponents say FGC prevents HIV because women will have reduced sexual desire after it is performed, resulting in fewer sexual partners and a decreased risk for contracting the virus. Researchers have challenged the notion that there is a difference sexual desire among women who have undergone FGC with those who have not, IRIN/PlusNews reports. After FGC was outlawed for girls younger than age 18, local residents say that proponents of the procedure have become "even more aggressive in their efforts to keep [FGC] alive." Jacqueline Mogaka, a local advocate against FGC, said, "I do not know where this idea of female genital mutilation being a remedy for HIV infection originated, but it is a strong belief" in Kisii, adding, "Young girls are now even voluntarily turning up for the cut because of this belief" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/30/2009 | | | | (01/29) 8th Annual Heroes in the Struggle | To celebrate the opening of our offices in New York, this year Heroes in the Struggle, the Black AIDS Institute's Gala Event, will be held both in New York city, on December 1, 2008 (World AIDS Day) at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and in Los Angeles on February 4, 2009 (just before National Black AIDS Awareness Day) at Walt Disney Concert Hall ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 01/10/2009 | | | | (01/29) Spokane Spokesman-Review Examines HIV-Related Life Insurance Discrimination Case in Washington State | The Spokane Spokesman-Review on Wednesday examined a case in Washington state in which an HIV-positive man was denied life insurance by Farmers New World Life Insurance. Some advocates had hoped that the discrimination case would "open doors" for people living with the virus who are denied life insurance, the Spokesman-Review reports, adding that those hopes were "dashed" by a ruling that said Gerald Hebert -- an employee with the state's Human Rights Commission who issued a complaint with the insurance commissioner's office in 2006 -- was not illegally discriminated against because of his HIV-positive status ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/29/2009 | | | | (01/29) Sign On to the Open Letter to Co-Chairs and Coordinator of the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference | President Obama has promised to "develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies" in this first year of his presidency. In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will once again lead the bi-annual National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC). As a national conference, the NHPC must strive to advance HIV prevention with the full force of the federal government. The conference should emphasize cross-governmental collaboration for HIV prevention to achieve this vision ...(continued)
~CHAMP - 01/28/2009 | | | | (01/29) Program in Costa Rica Will Allow Sex Workers To Learn HIV Prevention Methods From Colleagues | Commercial sex workers in Costa Rica will have the opportunity to learn about HIV prevention methods from other sex workers through a new program implemented by a local nongovernmental organization and funded by the World Bank, the EFE/Market Watch reports. Officials with the NGO -- called the "La Sala" Association for the Improvement of Quality of Life of Sexual Workers -- will train 22 sex workers to deliver messages about prevention, including condom use, and information about the sex workers' rights. Project coordinator Maria Diaz said the goal of the program is to "empower sexual workers in the matter of prevention" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/27/2009 | | | | (01/28) IRIN/PlusNews Examines Stigma Surrounding HIV-Positive Pregnant Women | IRIN/PlusNews on Monday examined the stigma some pregnant women living with HIV face, particularly in Southern Africa. According to a study of U.S. women living with HIV released at the XVII International AIDS Conference last year, about 50% of the respondents said they believed women living with the virus could have children if the appropriate care to prevent mother-to-child-transmission is taken. However, about the same percentage said they felt society strongly discouraged them from doing this, showing what researchers call a "dichotomy between the women's views about their bodies and society's" views, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Emma Tuahepa, an advocate and the first woman in Namibia to publically disclose her HIV-positive status, said that pregnant women living with HIV in the country are still stigmatized, despite the availability of services to prevent MTCT for the past seven years. She said that women who are living with the virus are "seen as irresponsible in getting pregnant, in not looking at your own health ... you are seen as adding to an existing problem" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/28/2009 | | | | (01/26) It's Time to Meaningfully Support Prevention by and for Black Communities | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data today confirming what AIDS watchdogs have been saying for years: Black gay and bisexual men and Black women are being devastated by HIV/AIDS. That ugly reality is now indisputable. But what’s just as clear is that resources currently dedicated to changing that reality are woefully inadequate and not targeted at the heart of the problem ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 09/11/2008 | | | | (01/26) IRIN News Examines Challenges of HIV-Positive Women in Liberia | IRIN News on Thursday examined the challenges of HIV-positive women in Liberia, including unemployment, gender discrimination and violence. According to a 2008 government report, although women account for about half of the 100,000 HIV-positive people in Liberia, women and girls are "doubly disadvantaged" by HIV/AIDS because they often serve as caregivers as well as patients. The report noted that "little is known about how HIV is affecting vulnerable populations" in Liberia, including women, young people, rural residents and children. In addition, violence against women "continues to permeate society and rape is among the most frequently reported crimes," the report said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/26/2009 | | | | (01/24) Virginia's Eastern Region Has One of State's Highest HIV Rates, Experts Say; Blacks Mostly Affected | In 2008, the Virginia Health Department's Eastern Region had a rate of 19 new HIV infections reported for every 100,000 residents, which is nearly twice the rate in Northern Virginia and higher than the state rate of 12 infections for every 100,000 residents, Newport News Daily Press reports. That same year, there were 332 new HIV infections reported in the region, which includes Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula and the Eastern Shore ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/23/2009 | | | | (01/24) Indonesia's HIV-Positive Transgendered Population Faces Discrimination, Jakarta Post Reports | Some transgendered people living with HIV in Indonesia face discrimination and experience stigma when accessing health care, the Indonesian Transvestites Communication Forum said recently, the Jakarta Post reports. The group spoke about the status of transgendered and gay people in the country -- particularly those living with HIV/AIDS -- at a hearing held Thursday with members of the House of Representatives' Commission IX, which handles citizenship, health, labor and transmigration affairs. Yulianus Rettoblaut, head of the forum, said that the group came to the meeting "with high hopes that legislators will articulate the grievances" of transgendered people in the country, "whose social, economic and health rights are neglected" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/23/2009 | | | | (01/24) How to Tell Children They Have Hepatitis: | Experts who have studied children with cancer and HIV/AIDS recommend parents tell their child about a hepatitis C infection as soon as she or he can understand the information, starting at age 8 or earlier if the child is asking detailed medical questions.
Early disclosure is critical to how the child and family cope and live with hepatitis C. How that disclosure occurs, and the building
process that leads to that moment, hinges on the child’s age, maturity, family situation and medical condition ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/24/2009 | | | | (01/24) An Open Letter from Phill Wilson | Today is World AIDS day and I’m thinking about President-elect Barack Obama. As a 52-year-old Black gay man with HIV, I have many reasons to welcome the inauguration of Barack Obama. A big one is that an Obama administration has enormous potential to reinvigorate a struggle that has been allowed to flag over the last eight years: our national fight against HIV/AIDS. With our country facing so many national challenges – two wars, a financial meltdown, and the growing threat of environmental devastation – it may be tempting to relegate the AIDS epidemic to the lower rung of national priorities. Yet that would be a grave mistake. Every year, more than 56,000 people in this country contract HIV ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 12/01/2008 | | | | (01/23) Florida HIV/STI Awareness Initiative Targets Hispanic, Haitian Youth | The Farmworker Association of Florida next month will begin a survey targeting Hispanic and Haitian youth that is designed to identify the best ways to educate teenagers and their families about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The program, funded with a more than $700,000, three-year grant from the Florida Department of Health, will cover seven counties in the state ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/22/2009 | | | | (01/23) Testing Positive – Now What? | Testing positive for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) may be scary, but now you have information that can improve
your health and well-being. This fact sheet will explore what testing positive means, and what you can do about it. Don’t panic
– the knowledge you now have will help you make healthier decisions for you and your liver. Information is the key to living
well with hepatitis C ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/22/2009 | | | | (01/22) Florida HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness Initiative Targets Hispanic, Haitian Youth | The Farmworker Association of Florida next month will begin a survey targeting Hispanic and Haitian youth that is designed to identify the best ways to educate teenagers and their families about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The program, funded with a more than $700,000, three-year grant from the Florida Department of Health, will cover seven counties in the state ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/21/2009
| | | | (01/22) Finding a Support Group | Many people with hepatitis C feel isolated and find it difficult to cope with living with a chronic illness such as HCV. Family and friends can be a great source of comfort and support, but support from people who have faced some of the same fears and challenges can be crucial in helping people understand, manage and live successfully with hepatitis C ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/22/2009 | | | | (01/21) Women Bear Heavy STD Burden, Including Risk of Infertility | Women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the long-term health consequences of STDs. In 2007, the chlamydia rate among women was three times that of men (543.6 cases per 100,000 women, compared to 190 cases per 100,000 men). The gonorrhea rate was also higher among women (123.5 per 100,000 women, compared to 113.7 per 100,000 among men).
Although the two diseases can be easily diagnosed and treated, they often have no symptoms and go undetected. If left untreated, up to 40 percent of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections in women can result in pelvic inflammatory disease - a condition that causes as many as 50,000 women to become infertile each year. Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can also cause ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious health problems.
The report found that there were more than 1.1 million chlamydia cases reported in 2007, up from about one million in 2006, making it the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any condition. Gonorrhea, the second most commonly reported infectious disease, had more than 350,000 cases reported in 2007. However, it is estimated that more than half of all new infections with chlamydia and gonorrhea continue to go undiagnosed, underscoring the importance of increased screening. CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under 26 years old, and supports U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations to screen high-risk, sexually active women for gonorrhea. Click title for full report.
~Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 01/13/2009 | | | | (01/21) STDs Take Heaviest Toll on Racial Minorities, Especially Black Women | CDC's 2007 STD surveillance report also indicates ongoing racial disparities in the three most common reportable STDs, with African-Americans bearing the greatest burden. While representing 12 percent of the U.S. population, blacks had about 70 percent of reported gonorrhea cases and almost half of all chlamydia and syphilis cases (48 percent and 46 percent respectively) in 2007.
STDs take an especially heavy toll on black women 15 to 19 years of age, who account for the highest rates of both chlamydia (9,646.7 per 100,000 population) and gonorrhea (2,955.7 per 100,000 population) of any group. STDs in this age group are of particular concern because of the potential threat of these two diseases to a woman's fertility.
Studies have shown that one of the most important social determinants of sexual health is socioeconomic status. Higher rates of poverty among blacks than whites, and socioeconomic barriers to quality healthcare and STD prevention and treatment services have been associated with higher prevalence and incidence of STDs among racial and ethnic minorities.
"The racial disparities in rates of STDs are among the worst health disparities in the nation for any health condition," stressed Douglas. "We must intensify efforts to reach these communities with needed screening and treatment services. Testing and the knowledge of infection is a critical first step toward reducing the continued consequences of these diseases." Click title for full report.
~Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 01/13/2009 | | | | (01/21) A Message from the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition | Dear Advocates,
This week the United States marks an historic transition as President Barack Obama takes office. It is a time of hope and reflection--in this spirit, our first Advocates' Network posting of 2009 is devoted to looking back on some of our collective accomplishments in 2008 and ahead to some of the potential developments on the horizon in 2009.
This past year has been a busy one for the HIV prevention research field and for AVAC. At the start of 2008, the AIDS vaccine research field was just a few months past the disappointment of the Step study results, and gearing up for months of debate about the question: where to from here? Also, in the early part of the year, there were disappointing flat results from an HIV prevention trial of herpes simplex type-2 treatment in HIV-negative people, and from the Carraguard microbicide study. But as the year moved ahead, the biomedical prevention research arena turned a corner from hand-wringing to hope and hard thinking about what to do next in AIDS vaccine science, pre-exposure prophylaxis research, ARV-based microbicides and male circumcision rollout. This momentum carried through to the end of 2008 and has all of us already busy in this first month of 2009.
AVAC is energized by the progress made in 2008. And we are proud to have been involved--with many of you--in many areas of this work, which has brought us to new places around the world and to new scientific issues. Highlights include:
* Supporting civil society and community voices around key issues in HIV prevention research. AVAC worked with multiple partners to convene prevention research stakeholder consultations in several African countries and in the US and plans to continue and further develop these in 2009.
* Starting an ongoing collaboration on gay men of color and HIV prevention research with the HIV Vaccine Trials Network's Legacy Project.
* Expanding our work, with UNAIDS, on Good Participatory Practice (GPP) Guidelines for Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials and establishing partnerships with community and research groups from nine countries to field-test and implement the GPP guidelines.
* Collaborating with the ATHENA Network to convene the first international civil society consultation on the potential impact of male circumcision on women, and partnering with Family Health International and WHO to launch a collaborative web clearinghouse on male circumcision, which will launch early in 2009.
* Bringing vaccine researchers and advocates together at the AIDS Vaccine 2008 Conference to address the convergence of HIV prevention technologies including vaccines, microbicides and PrEP research.
* Expanding our PrEP advocacy efforts, including publishing Anticipating the Results of PrEP Trials, beginning scenario planning to ensure the field is prepared for initial PrEP results that may be available as early as 2010, and convening issue-specific think tanks on key scientific issues on the PrEP agenda.
* Training journalists in Uganda to increase their level of research literacy in order to accurately report on the various prevention research trials ongoing in the country, and to foster relations between journalists and advocacy groups and among journalists and researchers.
We are excited to build on these experiences and partnerships in 2009.
We continue to monitor ongoing trials, several of which are expected to release results in 2009 (see full timeline here). These include:
* The HPTN 035 microbicide study, comparing BufferGel and Pro 2000/5 Gel expects results in the first quarter of the year.
* The trial of HSV-2 suppression in HIV serodiscordant couples expects results mid-year.
* The Thai prime-boost vaccine trial--the largest ever efficacy trial of an AIDS vaccine--which is testing a combination vaccine strategy in over 16,000 volunteers expects results in the third quarter.
* A safety trial on oral PrEP expects results by year's end in addition to the first interim data from PrEP efficacy trials.
AVAC will provide updates and forums for community discussion on these results as they emerge. We'll also be following several new trials including the VOICE study, which will test both oral and topical PrEP. This is the first study that will compare two different forms of ARV-based prevention, and we look forward to results and lessons learned from implementing this innovative design.
Also on the horizon is HVTN 505, the proposed exploratory trial of the NIH's Vaccine Research Center prime-boost strategy. This study hasn't yet gotten the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration; we'll keep you posted as the year unfolds. We'll also continue to track operations research and implementation of male circumcision.
As this list shows, trial-related milestones could fill much of our calendar this year. But, as important as these studies are, they are only part of the work that must be done. While we hope for positive results--and prepare for positive, negative, or indeterminate findings--we will also focus on work that's critical, whatever happens. This includes expanding collaborations with our GPP partners and launching new international initiatives with other advocacy groups and individuals to ensure that community groups and civil society stakeholders are actively engaged in prevention research advocacy.
We're aware of how valuable your time is--and, as we move into another year of providing updates, analysis, and background information through the Advocates' Network, we thank you for the time you take to participate in this forum.
~AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition - 01/21/2009 | | | | (01/21) Ugandan NGO Begins Food Security, Nutrition Program for HIV-Positive People | The Ugandan nongovernmental organization PREFA, which aims to prevent HIV/AIDS among families, has begun a food security and nutrition program for HIV-positive people in the Bulisa, Kayunga and Masindi districts, PREFA Executive Director David Serukka said recently, New Vision reports. Serukka said increased efforts to address food security and nutrition can help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals target of achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/21/2009
| | | | (01/17) ACTION ALERT: Sign On Letter - Viral Hepatitis in Senate Economic Stimulus Bill | The hepatitis community has drafted the attached letter to key Senate members requesting inclusion of funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Viral Hepatitis in the Senate version of the economic stimulus bill ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/17/2009 | | | | (01/16) Effects of Alcohol | It is well known that heavy alcohol consumption can lead to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but the effects of alcohol on HCV and its treatment are less well studied. As described in the December 15, 2008 Journal of Infectious Diseases, E. McCartney and colleagues performed a laboratory study using cultured Huh-7 cells to examine the effects of alcohol metabolism on HCV replication and the antiviral activity of interferon ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/16) Mother-to-Child HCV Transmission | Women with chronic hepatitis C may transmit HCV to their babies during pregnancy or delivery. This is uncommon overall – occurring at a rate of about 5% – but is more likely when the mother is HIV positive. As reported in the December 1, 2008 Journal of Infectious Diseases, K. Dowd and colleagues studied 63 HIV/HCV coinfected pregnant women to assess whether lower levels of HCV-specific neutralizing antibodies are associated with an increased risk of mother-to-child HCV transmission ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/15) Young People Might Overestimate Condom Use, Study Finds | Some teenagers and young adults might overestimate how often they use condoms during sex, according to a study published recently in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Reuters Health reports. Eve Rose of Emory University and colleagues conducted the study among 715 black women and girls ages 15 to 21 who were enrolled in an HIV prevention program. Researchers asked the participants how many times in the past two weeks they had sex and how many times they used a condom. The participants also provided vaginal fluid samples to be screened for Y chromosome DNA, or evidence of sperm ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/15) Officials in Dallas County, Texas, Lift Condom Distribution Ban | In a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, the Commissioners Court in Dallas County, Texas, lifted a 13-year-old ban on condom distribution, authorizing the county health department to distribute no-cost condoms in an effort to curb the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the Dallas Morning News reports (Levinthal, Dallas Morning News, 1/14). According to state officials, Dallas County had the highest HIV prevalence in Texas in 2007 and 2006, which caused concern among some officials about the effects of the condom ban in the county. The Commissioners Court in 1995 passed regulations banning the distribution of condoms and needle sterilization kits to at-risk people in local communities, saying these practices encouraged illegal and immoral behavior. Under the ban, Dallas County was the only public health agency in Texas to ban condoms in education and prevention programs (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/23/08) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/15) HCV Treatment - A Guide to Help You Stay on Treatment | If you have already started HCV treatment, congratulations. It takes courage to undertake treatment. The hardest part is making the decision to start, so you are already over one of the biggest hurdles. The majority of patients who start HCV treatment also finish it. This does not mean that the rest is easy. You may have some rough times ahead. In the over 10 years of working with HCV patients, combined with our personal experiences, we have come to believe this generality: if you are brave enough to begin treatment, then barring major problems, you will likely make it to the end ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/13) MSF To Expand HIV/TB Coinfection Services in Swaziland Province | Medecins Sans Frontieres this month will assist three clinics in Swaziland's southern province of Shiselweni in providing services for people with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, Inter Press Service reports. Aymeric Peguillan, MSF's head of mission in Swaziland, said the clinics will offer counseling, testing and treatment for both diseases because HIV and TB are "inseparable." He added that MSF intends to expand the program to include three more rural clinics within the next three months and hopes to work with all 19 clinics in the region by the end of 2009 ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/13/2008 | | | | (01/13) Legal Aid Clinics for HIV-Positive People To Open in 10 Districts of Indian State | The AIDS Prevention and Control Project in the Indian state Tamil Nadu will establish 10 legal aid clinics for people living with HIV/AIDS in 10 districts of the state, S. Vijayakumar, project director and member secretary of Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society, said recently, The Hindu reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/13/2008 | | | | (01/13) HIV-Positive MSM in China Continue To Face Stigma, Discrimination, China Daily Reports | HIV-positive men who have sex with men in China continue to experience HIV/AIDS-associated stigma and discrimination, the China Daily reports. According to the Daily, HIV-positive MSM live in the "shadow of guilt and shame that has long cast its pall over homosexuality and HIV/AIDS in China" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/13/2008 | | | | (01/13) Confronting HIV and Mass Imprisonment PROJECT UNSHACKLE | It's no coincidence that the communities most impacted by imprisonment also have the highest rates of HIV! The War on Drugs, mandatory minimums, racial profiling, and other criminal justice policies have resulted in the mass imprisonment of low-income people of color—a major driver of the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic. Project UNSHACKLE is a groundbreaking effort, linking across movements to build a powerful community-based movement at the complex intersection of HIV and mass imprisonment in the United States. With Project UNSHACKLE, we are uniting people who are formerly imprisoned, HIV policy advocates, researchers, AIDS service providers, prison justice organizers, people with HIV and other community members, and organizers from allied movements ...(continued)
~CHAMP - 01/13/2009 | | | | (01/10) Changes in Drug Treatment, Commercial Sex Work Could Contribute to Spread of HIV in Cambodia | A report showing a change in the use of drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation services throughout Cambodia has raised concerns about drug-related HIV transmission in the country's rural communities, the Phnom Penh Post reports. The report, released Monday by the National Authority for Combating Drugs, shows a decrease in the number of drug users accessing treatment and rehabilitation services at 10 state health centers, from 1,719 people in 2007 to 1,005 people in 2008. Additionally, Lour Ramin, NACD general secretary, said that there has been an increase in injection drug use in Cambodia despite a decrease in overall drug use in 2008. Officials "worry" about the impact that the trends will have on the country's HIV/AIDS prevalence, particularly in rural areas, he said, adding that in 2007, 35.1% of injection drug users in Phnom Penh were HIV-positive. Teruo Jinnai, the Cambodian representative for UNESCO, said the report highlights a need to engage high-risk populations, like IDUs, in HIV/AIDS education efforts. He said that IDUs have a "very high risk" of contracting the virus "because their level of understanding and consideration are still low" (Leakhana, Phnom Penh Post, 1/8) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/10) Life And Death – The Program: Cumberland County's Treatment Court | Judge Skip Ebert smiled as Brian, a husky guy in a muscle shirt, walked to the front of his Cumberland County courtroom. "How's the interferon going?" Ebert asked. Brian, a recovering addict in the county's treatment court program, had just begun that therapy to combat the Hepatitis C that imperiled his health. "I'm just glad I'm finally getting this started," he told the judge. "That's my goal. If I'm not drinking and doing drugs that'll save my life. "Hepatitis affects your liver. If you drink, that can really kill you" ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/10/2009 | | | | (01/10) Get tested now, says hepatitis C survivor Susan | A FORMER teacher who has overcome the blood disease hepatitis C has made a fresh plea to people who think they may be at risk to get tested. Susan Wright discovered she had the potentially fatal illness during a medical check-up for an insurance company in 2003. Mrs Wright, aged 51, stopped drinking, went through a programme of treatment in 2006-07 and has now been declared free of the virus. Last year, she became the face of a publicity campaign in a bid to dispel the stigma surrounding the blood disease ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/09) Antiretroviral Therapy To Be Made Available to HIV-Positive People in Afghanistan for First Time, Health Ministry Announces | For the first time, people living with HIV/AIDS in Afghanistan soon will receive antiretroviral therapy from the government, the Ministry of Health announced recently, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Forty of the 504 people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the country were selected to receive the drugs based on their medical status and need, among other criteria. It is suspected that there are an additional 2,000 to 2,500 undocumented HIV/AIDS cases nationwide ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/09) Advocate Urges Tanzania To Provide More HIV/AIDS Support to Elderly People, Caregivers | Anna Mshigwa, CEO of the Tanga Elderly Women Resource Center, on Wednesday urged the Tanzanian government to provide more funding and support for HIV/AIDS services targeted at older people, particularly those who provide care to children orphaned by the disease, the Guardian/IPP Media reports. According to Mshigwa, elderly people in Tanzania do not receive sufficient recognition for the role they play as caregivers to children affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, campaigns promoting awareness about the disease typically target young people, and reports on HIV in Tanzania often lack sufficient data on the impact of the disease among older populations, Mshigwa said ...(continue)
~Kaiser Network - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/09) UNFPA, Local NGO Partner for HIV Education Efforts Aimed at Pakistani Sex Workers | The United Nations Population Fund is partnering with a local Pakistani nongovernmental organization in an effort to educate female commercial sex workers in the city of Karachi -- where thousands of such women are at high risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections through unprotected sex -- on prevention methods and condom use, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Mizra Alim Baig, president of the Gender and Reproductive Health Forum, said the organization has been able to distribute hundreds of UNFPA-provided condoms daily "in the hope that somewhere a life might be saved." Baig also said that it "used to be a thankless job" but that he is "happy" female commercial sex workers have the "tools and knowledge to better protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, STIs and hepatitis." The forum also utilizes a group of outreach workers that includes former sex workers. "These women know what these [female sex workers] are going through and can relate to them in a better way," Baig said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/08/2009 | | | | (01/08) Serrano Opens 111th Congress with Bill to Lift the Federal Syringe Exchange Ban | Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor HR 179, the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act of 2009:
In the bid to have the issue out front and center in the new Congress, Representative Jose Serrano re-introduced HR 179, Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention (CAHP) Act of 2009 in the 111th Congress yesterday. HR 179, introduced with 28 original co-sponsors, would eliminate all laws which prevent federal funding from being used by state and local jurisdictions for syringe exchange.
Now we need to find as many additional co-sponsors as possible for this legislation. Please send an email today urging your Representative to co-sponsor the CAHP Act of 2009, and encourage your friends, families and networks to do the same. You can either send the pre-written letter provided, amend it, or write your own. If your Representative already has co-sponsored, please write a note of appreciation.
H. R. 179- To permit the use of Federal funds for syringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viral hepatitis.
Original cosponsors are: Mr. SERRANO (for himself), Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. FARR, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HARE, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. LEE, Ms. MALONEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, MR. PAUL, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WAXMAN, and Ms. WOOLSEY)
~Harm Reduction Coalition - 01/07/2009 | | | | (01/08) More Effort Needed To Address HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma in India, Advocates Say | Some advocates in India are calling for increased efforts to end the social stigma and ostracism experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, LiveMint.com reports. Kapil Kaul, country head for the not-for-profit organization HelpAge India, said that the virus is continually linked with high-risk groups that do not have social standing in the country, adding that people "need to create sympathy and understanding" for those groups to end discrimination. He added that the country's "present approach is devoid of strategy," and that India needs a "huge campaign which must penetrate social norms" and "must have a five to 10 year perspective with definite milestones." Nirupama Rao, state youth coordinator for the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, said stigma can decrease as knowledge about the virus increases, adding the "more you talk about it, the more stigma will come down." Rao also said that creating supportive communities for people living with HIV/AIDS and having visible testing centers would help reduce stigma in India ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/08/2009 | | | | (01/08) Yemen's Low Education Levels, High Poverty Rates Increasing HIV/AIDS Risk, Experts Say | High poverty rates and low education levels are contributing to increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Yemen, especially among commercial sex workers, according to some experts, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Abdul-Hafed al-Ward, secretary-general of the Integrated Care Association for People Living with HIV, said that most cases of HIV/AIDS involve people with low incomes and that "[p]overty and HIV/AIDS go together and wherever the former exists so does the latter." Khaled Abdul-Majid, a program officer at the United Nations Development Program's Sanaa office, said that government institutions do not have the capacity to tackle HIV/AIDS and that a lack of knowledge about the virus leads to fear. He also said that high illiteracy rates contribute to HIV/AIDS-related stigma and that local radio stations "should allocate one hour [a day] to educate people about HIV/AIDS" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/08/2009 | | | | (01/08) Children Increasingly Living With HIV/AIDS in Cambodia; Officials Focusing on Prevention | Cambodia has shifted the focus of its HIV/AIDS prevention efforts from young adults to children in response to 2008 statistics that show an increase in rates of antiretroviral use among children and mother-to-child transmission of the virus, the Phnom Penh Post reports. Mean Chhi Vun -- director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STDs -- said that the government has begun a program to provide "HIV testing for 6,745 pregnant women [this year] in 68 health centers across five of our operational districts." Thirty-five of the women tested positive for HIV and received follow-up care and medicine from the center, according to Vun. Teng Kunthy, general secretary of the National AIDS Authority of Cambodia, said that the government also is focusing on a national registration program to coordinate treatment for children living with HIV. The program "has been running smoothly so far and has encouraged more children to seek treatment," he said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/07/2008 | | | | (01/08) HIV/AIDS Affecting Formerly Low-Risk Populations in Indonesian Province | Formerly low-risk groups such as married women and young children are contracting HIV/AIDS at higher rates in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province during the past year, the Jakarta Post reports. According to the province's AIDS Eradication Commission, or KPAD, 25 married women and six young children contracted HIV last year. As of November 2008, 10 people had died from the disease, Rohmi Khoiriyati, KPAD secretary, said. KPAD as of November 2008 also recorded 25 new HIV cases, including three among people who had developed AIDS ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/07/2009 | | | | (01/08) Health Official Urges HIV/AIDS Testing Among Elderly Population in Tanzania | Make Msuya -- a district health officer in Korogwe, Tanzania -- recently called on elderly people to be tested for HIV/AIDS in order to help curb the spread of the disease in the country, Guardian/IPP Media reports. Msuya made the announcement during a training course for 50 elderly district residents, which was organized by Tanga Elderly Women Resource Center -- an organization that aims to raise awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on older people. In addition, Msuya also called on elderly populations to avoid harmful practices that increase the risk of spreading HIV, including female genital mutilation and widow inheritance. He also called on older people to continue to serve as care givers to children whose parents have died from AIDS-related causes. "Your role as care givers is exemplary, and the community was banking on you to win the war against HIV/AIDS," Msuya said. He also urged health care officials in the district to provide gloves and condoms in their villages in order to combat the spread of the disease (Kigwangallah, Guardian/IPP Media, 1/2).
~Kaiser Network - 01/07/2009 | | | | (01/06) Cell Phone Soap Operas Promote Condom Use, HIV Awareness | A new campaign aims to provide women with messages about HIV awareness, safer sex and condom use through a series of 12 soap opera vignettes that can be viewed on a cell phone, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Rachel Jones, an educator at Rutgers University's College of Nursing, developed the campaign using professional actors and scripts based on focus groups with women in Newark and Jersey City, N.J. ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/06/2009 | | | | (01/06) Youth in Nigeria at Increased Risk of HIV Because of Inadequate Information, Counseling, UNPF Adviser Says | Youth in Nigeria are at an increased risk of HIV/AIDS because of a lack of information and counseling services, Aderonke Sodeinde, an HIV prevention adviser at the United Nations Population Fund, said recently at a UNPF workshop aimed at educating journalists on the importance of providing HIV education and awareness to young people, the Daily Trust reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/06/2009 | | | | (01/06) More Than 1,000 Chicago Teenagers Receive HIV Test at Annual Teen Test Day | More than 1,000 Chicago teenagers were tested for HIV on Saturday as part of the second annual Teen Test Day at the South Shore Cultural Center, the Chicago Tribune reports. Many of the teenagers said they are not sexually active but believed it was a good idea to receive the no-cost tests, the Tribune reports. Regina Hampton, a case manager for the Circle Family HealthCare Network who administered the tests, said, "It's good to get [teens] in the habit [of being tested for HIV] even if they haven't been sexually active." Organizers of the event said that in recent years, about half of new HIV infections have been reported among adults younger than age 25, with the highest infection rate among black teenagers. Teen Test Day is sponsored by the Chicago-based youth group Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization (Owen, Chicago Tribune, 1/4).
~Kaiser Network - 01/06/2009
| | | | (01/05) Hawaii Grant Helps AIDS Research Program Recover After Losing Federal Funding | The Hawaii AIDS Clinical Research Program has raised more than $20 million to support research and care for HIV-positive people since 2007 when the state Legislature allocated $1.2 million to the program after it lost a $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases because some clinical trial units were closed, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/05/2008 | | | | (01/05) PBS Program Features Discussion of HIV/AIDS | PBS' The Charlie Rose Show last week featured a discussion with David Ho -- director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center -- and Anthony Fauci -- director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- about new approaches to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and the search for a vaccine. Fauci said that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still a "great challenge" but that "the greatest advances have been made in the development of therapies which, if given appropriately to people, can really transform the lives of HIV-[positive] individuals." However, he added, "The sobering news is ... for every person who gets on therapy, you have a few more who get infected." Fauci said that prevention, especially with a vaccine, is "one of the major challenges," adding, "We've come a long way, but there is much, much more to be done" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/05/2009 | | | November, 2008 | | (01/30) Proponents of Female Genital Cutting in Kenya Promoting It as HIV Prevention Method | Some proponents of female genital cutting in Kisii, Kenya, are claiming that the practice will reduce a woman's risk of contracting HIV, IRIN/PlusNews reports. These proponents say FGC prevents HIV because women will have reduced sexual desire after it is performed, resulting in fewer sexual partners and a decreased risk for contracting the virus. Researchers have challenged the notion that there is a difference sexual desire among women who have undergone FGC with those who have not, IRIN/PlusNews reports. After FGC was outlawed for girls younger than age 18, local residents say that proponents of the procedure have become "even more aggressive in their efforts to keep [FGC] alive." Jacqueline Mogaka, a local advocate against FGC, said, "I do not know where this idea of female genital mutilation being a remedy for HIV infection originated, but it is a strong belief" in Kisii, adding, "Young girls are now even voluntarily turning up for the cut because of this belief" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/30/2009 | | | | (01/29) 8th Annual Heroes in the Struggle | To celebrate the opening of our offices in New York, this year Heroes in the Struggle, the Black AIDS Institute's Gala Event, will be held both in New York city, on December 1, 2008 (World AIDS Day) at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and in Los Angeles on February 4, 2009 (just before National Black AIDS Awareness Day) at Walt Disney Concert Hall ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 01/10/2009 | | | | (01/29) Spokane Spokesman-Review Examines HIV-Related Life Insurance Discrimination Case in Washington State | The Spokane Spokesman-Review on Wednesday examined a case in Washington state in which an HIV-positive man was denied life insurance by Farmers New World Life Insurance. Some advocates had hoped that the discrimination case would "open doors" for people living with the virus who are denied life insurance, the Spokesman-Review reports, adding that those hopes were "dashed" by a ruling that said Gerald Hebert -- an employee with the state's Human Rights Commission who issued a complaint with the insurance commissioner's office in 2006 -- was not illegally discriminated against because of his HIV-positive status ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/29/2009 | | | | (01/29) Sign On to the Open Letter to Co-Chairs and Coordinator of the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference | President Obama has promised to "develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies" in this first year of his presidency. In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will once again lead the bi-annual National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC). As a national conference, the NHPC must strive to advance HIV prevention with the full force of the federal government. The conference should emphasize cross-governmental collaboration for HIV prevention to achieve this vision ...(continued)
~CHAMP - 01/28/2009 | | | | (01/29) Program in Costa Rica Will Allow Sex Workers To Learn HIV Prevention Methods From Colleagues | Commercial sex workers in Costa Rica will have the opportunity to learn about HIV prevention methods from other sex workers through a new program implemented by a local nongovernmental organization and funded by the World Bank, the EFE/Market Watch reports. Officials with the NGO -- called the "La Sala" Association for the Improvement of Quality of Life of Sexual Workers -- will train 22 sex workers to deliver messages about prevention, including condom use, and information about the sex workers' rights. Project coordinator Maria Diaz said the goal of the program is to "empower sexual workers in the matter of prevention" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/27/2009 | | | | (01/28) IRIN/PlusNews Examines Stigma Surrounding HIV-Positive Pregnant Women | IRIN/PlusNews on Monday examined the stigma some pregnant women living with HIV face, particularly in Southern Africa. According to a study of U.S. women living with HIV released at the XVII International AIDS Conference last year, about 50% of the respondents said they believed women living with the virus could have children if the appropriate care to prevent mother-to-child-transmission is taken. However, about the same percentage said they felt society strongly discouraged them from doing this, showing what researchers call a "dichotomy between the women's views about their bodies and society's" views, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Emma Tuahepa, an advocate and the first woman in Namibia to publically disclose her HIV-positive status, said that pregnant women living with HIV in the country are still stigmatized, despite the availability of services to prevent MTCT for the past seven years. She said that women who are living with the virus are "seen as irresponsible in getting pregnant, in not looking at your own health ... you are seen as adding to an existing problem" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/28/2009 | | | | (01/26) It's Time to Meaningfully Support Prevention by and for Black Communities | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data today confirming what AIDS watchdogs have been saying for years: Black gay and bisexual men and Black women are being devastated by HIV/AIDS. That ugly reality is now indisputable. But what’s just as clear is that resources currently dedicated to changing that reality are woefully inadequate and not targeted at the heart of the problem ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 09/11/2008 | | | | (01/26) IRIN News Examines Challenges of HIV-Positive Women in Liberia | IRIN News on Thursday examined the challenges of HIV-positive women in Liberia, including unemployment, gender discrimination and violence. According to a 2008 government report, although women account for about half of the 100,000 HIV-positive people in Liberia, women and girls are "doubly disadvantaged" by HIV/AIDS because they often serve as caregivers as well as patients. The report noted that "little is known about how HIV is affecting vulnerable populations" in Liberia, including women, young people, rural residents and children. In addition, violence against women "continues to permeate society and rape is among the most frequently reported crimes," the report said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/26/2009 | | | | (01/24) Virginia's Eastern Region Has One of State's Highest HIV Rates, Experts Say; Blacks Mostly Affected | In 2008, the Virginia Health Department's Eastern Region had a rate of 19 new HIV infections reported for every 100,000 residents, which is nearly twice the rate in Northern Virginia and higher than the state rate of 12 infections for every 100,000 residents, Newport News Daily Press reports. That same year, there were 332 new HIV infections reported in the region, which includes Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula and the Eastern Shore ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/23/2009 | | | | (01/24) Indonesia's HIV-Positive Transgendered Population Faces Discrimination, Jakarta Post Reports | Some transgendered people living with HIV in Indonesia face discrimination and experience stigma when accessing health care, the Indonesian Transvestites Communication Forum said recently, the Jakarta Post reports. The group spoke about the status of transgendered and gay people in the country -- particularly those living with HIV/AIDS -- at a hearing held Thursday with members of the House of Representatives' Commission IX, which handles citizenship, health, labor and transmigration affairs. Yulianus Rettoblaut, head of the forum, said that the group came to the meeting "with high hopes that legislators will articulate the grievances" of transgendered people in the country, "whose social, economic and health rights are neglected" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/23/2009 | | | | (01/24) How to Tell Children They Have Hepatitis: | Experts who have studied children with cancer and HIV/AIDS recommend parents tell their child about a hepatitis C infection as soon as she or he can understand the information, starting at age 8 or earlier if the child is asking detailed medical questions.
Early disclosure is critical to how the child and family cope and live with hepatitis C. How that disclosure occurs, and the building
process that leads to that moment, hinges on the child’s age, maturity, family situation and medical condition ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/24/2009 | | | | (01/24) An Open Letter from Phill Wilson | Today is World AIDS day and I’m thinking about President-elect Barack Obama. As a 52-year-old Black gay man with HIV, I have many reasons to welcome the inauguration of Barack Obama. A big one is that an Obama administration has enormous potential to reinvigorate a struggle that has been allowed to flag over the last eight years: our national fight against HIV/AIDS. With our country facing so many national challenges – two wars, a financial meltdown, and the growing threat of environmental devastation – it may be tempting to relegate the AIDS epidemic to the lower rung of national priorities. Yet that would be a grave mistake. Every year, more than 56,000 people in this country contract HIV ...(continued)
~Black AIDS Institute - 12/01/2008 | | | | (01/23) Florida HIV/STI Awareness Initiative Targets Hispanic, Haitian Youth | The Farmworker Association of Florida next month will begin a survey targeting Hispanic and Haitian youth that is designed to identify the best ways to educate teenagers and their families about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The program, funded with a more than $700,000, three-year grant from the Florida Department of Health, will cover seven counties in the state ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/22/2009 | | | | (01/23) Testing Positive – Now What? | Testing positive for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) may be scary, but now you have information that can improve
your health and well-being. This fact sheet will explore what testing positive means, and what you can do about it. Don’t panic
– the knowledge you now have will help you make healthier decisions for you and your liver. Information is the key to living
well with hepatitis C ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/22/2009 | | | | (01/22) Florida HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness Initiative Targets Hispanic, Haitian Youth | The Farmworker Association of Florida next month will begin a survey targeting Hispanic and Haitian youth that is designed to identify the best ways to educate teenagers and their families about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The program, funded with a more than $700,000, three-year grant from the Florida Department of Health, will cover seven counties in the state ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/21/2009
| | | | (01/22) Finding a Support Group | Many people with hepatitis C feel isolated and find it difficult to cope with living with a chronic illness such as HCV. Family and friends can be a great source of comfort and support, but support from people who have faced some of the same fears and challenges can be crucial in helping people understand, manage and live successfully with hepatitis C ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/22/2009 | | | | (01/21) Women Bear Heavy STD Burden, Including Risk of Infertility | Women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the long-term health consequences of STDs. In 2007, the chlamydia rate among women was three times that of men (543.6 cases per 100,000 women, compared to 190 cases per 100,000 men). The gonorrhea rate was also higher among women (123.5 per 100,000 women, compared to 113.7 per 100,000 among men).
Although the two diseases can be easily diagnosed and treated, they often have no symptoms and go undetected. If left untreated, up to 40 percent of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections in women can result in pelvic inflammatory disease - a condition that causes as many as 50,000 women to become infertile each year. Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can also cause ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious health problems.
The report found that there were more than 1.1 million chlamydia cases reported in 2007, up from about one million in 2006, making it the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any condition. Gonorrhea, the second most commonly reported infectious disease, had more than 350,000 cases reported in 2007. However, it is estimated that more than half of all new infections with chlamydia and gonorrhea continue to go undiagnosed, underscoring the importance of increased screening. CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under 26 years old, and supports U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations to screen high-risk, sexually active women for gonorrhea. Click title for full report.
~Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 01/13/2009 | | | | (01/21) STDs Take Heaviest Toll on Racial Minorities, Especially Black Women | CDC's 2007 STD surveillance report also indicates ongoing racial disparities in the three most common reportable STDs, with African-Americans bearing the greatest burden. While representing 12 percent of the U.S. population, blacks had about 70 percent of reported gonorrhea cases and almost half of all chlamydia and syphilis cases (48 percent and 46 percent respectively) in 2007.
STDs take an especially heavy toll on black women 15 to 19 years of age, who account for the highest rates of both chlamydia (9,646.7 per 100,000 population) and gonorrhea (2,955.7 per 100,000 population) of any group. STDs in this age group are of particular concern because of the potential threat of these two diseases to a woman's fertility.
Studies have shown that one of the most important social determinants of sexual health is socioeconomic status. Higher rates of poverty among blacks than whites, and socioeconomic barriers to quality healthcare and STD prevention and treatment services have been associated with higher prevalence and incidence of STDs among racial and ethnic minorities.
"The racial disparities in rates of STDs are among the worst health disparities in the nation for any health condition," stressed Douglas. "We must intensify efforts to reach these communities with needed screening and treatment services. Testing and the knowledge of infection is a critical first step toward reducing the continued consequences of these diseases." Click title for full report.
~Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 01/13/2009 | | | | (01/21) A Message from the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition | Dear Advocates,
This week the United States marks an historic transition as President Barack Obama takes office. It is a time of hope and reflection--in this spirit, our first Advocates' Network posting of 2009 is devoted to looking back on some of our collective accomplishments in 2008 and ahead to some of the potential developments on the horizon in 2009.
This past year has been a busy one for the HIV prevention research field and for AVAC. At the start of 2008, the AIDS vaccine research field was just a few months past the disappointment of the Step study results, and gearing up for months of debate about the question: where to from here? Also, in the early part of the year, there were disappointing flat results from an HIV prevention trial of herpes simplex type-2 treatment in HIV-negative people, and from the Carraguard microbicide study. But as the year moved ahead, the biomedical prevention research arena turned a corner from hand-wringing to hope and hard thinking about what to do next in AIDS vaccine science, pre-exposure prophylaxis research, ARV-based microbicides and male circumcision rollout. This momentum carried through to the end of 2008 and has all of us already busy in this first month of 2009.
AVAC is energized by the progress made in 2008. And we are proud to have been involved--with many of you--in many areas of this work, which has brought us to new places around the world and to new scientific issues. Highlights include:
* Supporting civil society and community voices around key issues in HIV prevention research. AVAC worked with multiple partners to convene prevention research stakeholder consultations in several African countries and in the US and plans to continue and further develop these in 2009.
* Starting an ongoing collaboration on gay men of color and HIV prevention research with the HIV Vaccine Trials Network's Legacy Project.
* Expanding our work, with UNAIDS, on Good Participatory Practice (GPP) Guidelines for Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials and establishing partnerships with community and research groups from nine countries to field-test and implement the GPP guidelines.
* Collaborating with the ATHENA Network to convene the first international civil society consultation on the potential impact of male circumcision on women, and partnering with Family Health International and WHO to launch a collaborative web clearinghouse on male circumcision, which will launch early in 2009.
* Bringing vaccine researchers and advocates together at the AIDS Vaccine 2008 Conference to address the convergence of HIV prevention technologies including vaccines, microbicides and PrEP research.
* Expanding our PrEP advocacy efforts, including publishing Anticipating the Results of PrEP Trials, beginning scenario planning to ensure the field is prepared for initial PrEP results that may be available as early as 2010, and convening issue-specific think tanks on key scientific issues on the PrEP agenda.
* Training journalists in Uganda to increase their level of research literacy in order to accurately report on the various prevention research trials ongoing in the country, and to foster relations between journalists and advocacy groups and among journalists and researchers.
We are excited to build on these experiences and partnerships in 2009.
We continue to monitor ongoing trials, several of which are expected to release results in 2009 (see full timeline here). These include:
* The HPTN 035 microbicide study, comparing BufferGel and Pro 2000/5 Gel expects results in the first quarter of the year.
* The trial of HSV-2 suppression in HIV serodiscordant couples expects results mid-year.
* The Thai prime-boost vaccine trial--the largest ever efficacy trial of an AIDS vaccine--which is testing a combination vaccine strategy in over 16,000 volunteers expects results in the third quarter.
* A safety trial on oral PrEP expects results by year's end in addition to the first interim data from PrEP efficacy trials.
AVAC will provide updates and forums for community discussion on these results as they emerge. We'll also be following several new trials including the VOICE study, which will test both oral and topical PrEP. This is the first study that will compare two different forms of ARV-based prevention, and we look forward to results and lessons learned from implementing this innovative design.
Also on the horizon is HVTN 505, the proposed exploratory trial of the NIH's Vaccine Research Center prime-boost strategy. This study hasn't yet gotten the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration; we'll keep you posted as the year unfolds. We'll also continue to track operations research and implementation of male circumcision.
As this list shows, trial-related milestones could fill much of our calendar this year. But, as important as these studies are, they are only part of the work that must be done. While we hope for positive results--and prepare for positive, negative, or indeterminate findings--we will also focus on work that's critical, whatever happens. This includes expanding collaborations with our GPP partners and launching new international initiatives with other advocacy groups and individuals to ensure that community groups and civil society stakeholders are actively engaged in prevention research advocacy.
We're aware of how valuable your time is--and, as we move into another year of providing updates, analysis, and background information through the Advocates' Network, we thank you for the time you take to participate in this forum.
~AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition - 01/21/2009 | | | | (01/21) Ugandan NGO Begins Food Security, Nutrition Program for HIV-Positive People | The Ugandan nongovernmental organization PREFA, which aims to prevent HIV/AIDS among families, has begun a food security and nutrition program for HIV-positive people in the Bulisa, Kayunga and Masindi districts, PREFA Executive Director David Serukka said recently, New Vision reports. Serukka said increased efforts to address food security and nutrition can help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals target of achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/21/2009
| | | | (01/17) ACTION ALERT: Sign On Letter - Viral Hepatitis in Senate Economic Stimulus Bill | The hepatitis community has drafted the attached letter to key Senate members requesting inclusion of funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Viral Hepatitis in the Senate version of the economic stimulus bill ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/17/2009 | | | | (01/16) Effects of Alcohol | It is well known that heavy alcohol consumption can lead to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but the effects of alcohol on HCV and its treatment are less well studied. As described in the December 15, 2008 Journal of Infectious Diseases, E. McCartney and colleagues performed a laboratory study using cultured Huh-7 cells to examine the effects of alcohol metabolism on HCV replication and the antiviral activity of interferon ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/16) Mother-to-Child HCV Transmission | Women with chronic hepatitis C may transmit HCV to their babies during pregnancy or delivery. This is uncommon overall – occurring at a rate of about 5% – but is more likely when the mother is HIV positive. As reported in the December 1, 2008 Journal of Infectious Diseases, K. Dowd and colleagues studied 63 HIV/HCV coinfected pregnant women to assess whether lower levels of HCV-specific neutralizing antibodies are associated with an increased risk of mother-to-child HCV transmission ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/15) Young People Might Overestimate Condom Use, Study Finds | Some teenagers and young adults might overestimate how often they use condoms during sex, according to a study published recently in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Reuters Health reports. Eve Rose of Emory University and colleagues conducted the study among 715 black women and girls ages 15 to 21 who were enrolled in an HIV prevention program. Researchers asked the participants how many times in the past two weeks they had sex and how many times they used a condom. The participants also provided vaginal fluid samples to be screened for Y chromosome DNA, or evidence of sperm ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/15) Officials in Dallas County, Texas, Lift Condom Distribution Ban | In a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, the Commissioners Court in Dallas County, Texas, lifted a 13-year-old ban on condom distribution, authorizing the county health department to distribute no-cost condoms in an effort to curb the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the Dallas Morning News reports (Levinthal, Dallas Morning News, 1/14). According to state officials, Dallas County had the highest HIV prevalence in Texas in 2007 and 2006, which caused concern among some officials about the effects of the condom ban in the county. The Commissioners Court in 1995 passed regulations banning the distribution of condoms and needle sterilization kits to at-risk people in local communities, saying these practices encouraged illegal and immoral behavior. Under the ban, Dallas County was the only public health agency in Texas to ban condoms in education and prevention programs (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/23/08) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/15) HCV Treatment - A Guide to Help You Stay on Treatment | If you have already started HCV treatment, congratulations. It takes courage to undertake treatment. The hardest part is making the decision to start, so you are already over one of the biggest hurdles. The majority of patients who start HCV treatment also finish it. This does not mean that the rest is easy. You may have some rough times ahead. In the over 10 years of working with HCV patients, combined with our personal experiences, we have come to believe this generality: if you are brave enough to begin treatment, then barring major problems, you will likely make it to the end ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/15/2009 | | | | (01/13) MSF To Expand HIV/TB Coinfection Services in Swaziland Province | Medecins Sans Frontieres this month will assist three clinics in Swaziland's southern province of Shiselweni in providing services for people with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, Inter Press Service reports. Aymeric Peguillan, MSF's head of mission in Swaziland, said the clinics will offer counseling, testing and treatment for both diseases because HIV and TB are "inseparable." He added that MSF intends to expand the program to include three more rural clinics within the next three months and hopes to work with all 19 clinics in the region by the end of 2009 ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/13/2008 | | | | (01/13) Legal Aid Clinics for HIV-Positive People To Open in 10 Districts of Indian State | The AIDS Prevention and Control Project in the Indian state Tamil Nadu will establish 10 legal aid clinics for people living with HIV/AIDS in 10 districts of the state, S. Vijayakumar, project director and member secretary of Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society, said recently, The Hindu reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/13/2008 | | | | (01/13) HIV-Positive MSM in China Continue To Face Stigma, Discrimination, China Daily Reports | HIV-positive men who have sex with men in China continue to experience HIV/AIDS-associated stigma and discrimination, the China Daily reports. According to the Daily, HIV-positive MSM live in the "shadow of guilt and shame that has long cast its pall over homosexuality and HIV/AIDS in China" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/13/2008 | | | | (01/13) Confronting HIV and Mass Imprisonment PROJECT UNSHACKLE | It's no coincidence that the communities most impacted by imprisonment also have the highest rates of HIV! The War on Drugs, mandatory minimums, racial profiling, and other criminal justice policies have resulted in the mass imprisonment of low-income people of color—a major driver of the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic. Project UNSHACKLE is a groundbreaking effort, linking across movements to build a powerful community-based movement at the complex intersection of HIV and mass imprisonment in the United States. With Project UNSHACKLE, we are uniting people who are formerly imprisoned, HIV policy advocates, researchers, AIDS service providers, prison justice organizers, people with HIV and other community members, and organizers from allied movements ...(continued)
~CHAMP - 01/13/2009 | | | | (01/10) Changes in Drug Treatment, Commercial Sex Work Could Contribute to Spread of HIV in Cambodia | A report showing a change in the use of drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation services throughout Cambodia has raised concerns about drug-related HIV transmission in the country's rural communities, the Phnom Penh Post reports. The report, released Monday by the National Authority for Combating Drugs, shows a decrease in the number of drug users accessing treatment and rehabilitation services at 10 state health centers, from 1,719 people in 2007 to 1,005 people in 2008. Additionally, Lour Ramin, NACD general secretary, said that there has been an increase in injection drug use in Cambodia despite a decrease in overall drug use in 2008. Officials "worry" about the impact that the trends will have on the country's HIV/AIDS prevalence, particularly in rural areas, he said, adding that in 2007, 35.1% of injection drug users in Phnom Penh were HIV-positive. Teruo Jinnai, the Cambodian representative for UNESCO, said the report highlights a need to engage high-risk populations, like IDUs, in HIV/AIDS education efforts. He said that IDUs have a "very high risk" of contracting the virus "because their level of understanding and consideration are still low" (Leakhana, Phnom Penh Post, 1/8) ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/10) Life And Death – The Program: Cumberland County's Treatment Court | Judge Skip Ebert smiled as Brian, a husky guy in a muscle shirt, walked to the front of his Cumberland County courtroom. "How's the interferon going?" Ebert asked. Brian, a recovering addict in the county's treatment court program, had just begun that therapy to combat the Hepatitis C that imperiled his health. "I'm just glad I'm finally getting this started," he told the judge. "That's my goal. If I'm not drinking and doing drugs that'll save my life. "Hepatitis affects your liver. If you drink, that can really kill you" ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/10/2009 | | | | (01/10) Get tested now, says hepatitis C survivor Susan | A FORMER teacher who has overcome the blood disease hepatitis C has made a fresh plea to people who think they may be at risk to get tested. Susan Wright discovered she had the potentially fatal illness during a medical check-up for an insurance company in 2003. Mrs Wright, aged 51, stopped drinking, went through a programme of treatment in 2006-07 and has now been declared free of the virus. Last year, she became the face of a publicity campaign in a bid to dispel the stigma surrounding the blood disease ...(continued)
~HCV Advocate - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/09) Antiretroviral Therapy To Be Made Available to HIV-Positive People in Afghanistan for First Time, Health Ministry Announces | For the first time, people living with HIV/AIDS in Afghanistan soon will receive antiretroviral therapy from the government, the Ministry of Health announced recently, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Forty of the 504 people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the country were selected to receive the drugs based on their medical status and need, among other criteria. It is suspected that there are an additional 2,000 to 2,500 undocumented HIV/AIDS cases nationwide ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/09) Advocate Urges Tanzania To Provide More HIV/AIDS Support to Elderly People, Caregivers | Anna Mshigwa, CEO of the Tanga Elderly Women Resource Center, on Wednesday urged the Tanzanian government to provide more funding and support for HIV/AIDS services targeted at older people, particularly those who provide care to children orphaned by the disease, the Guardian/IPP Media reports. According to Mshigwa, elderly people in Tanzania do not receive sufficient recognition for the role they play as caregivers to children affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, campaigns promoting awareness about the disease typically target young people, and reports on HIV in Tanzania often lack sufficient data on the impact of the disease among older populations, Mshigwa said ...(continue)
~Kaiser Network - 01/09/2009 | | | | (01/09) UNFPA, Local NGO Partner for HIV Education Efforts Aimed at Pakistani Sex Workers | The United Nations Population Fund is partnering with a local Pakistani nongovernmental organization in an effort to educate female commercial sex workers in the city of Karachi -- where thousands of such women are at high risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections through unprotected sex -- on prevention methods and condom use, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Mizra Alim Baig, president of the Gender and Reproductive Health Forum, said the organization has been able to distribute hundreds of UNFPA-provided condoms daily "in the hope that somewhere a life might be saved." Baig also said that it "used to be a thankless job" but that he is "happy" female commercial sex workers have the "tools and knowledge to better protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, STIs and hepatitis." The forum also utilizes a group of outreach workers that includes former sex workers. "These women know what these [female sex workers] are going through and can relate to them in a better way," Baig said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/08/2009 | | | | (01/08) Serrano Opens 111th Congress with Bill to Lift the Federal Syringe Exchange Ban | Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor HR 179, the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act of 2009:
In the bid to have the issue out front and center in the new Congress, Representative Jose Serrano re-introduced HR 179, Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention (CAHP) Act of 2009 in the 111th Congress yesterday. HR 179, introduced with 28 original co-sponsors, would eliminate all laws which prevent federal funding from being used by state and local jurisdictions for syringe exchange.
Now we need to find as many additional co-sponsors as possible for this legislation. Please send an email today urging your Representative to co-sponsor the CAHP Act of 2009, and encourage your friends, families and networks to do the same. You can either send the pre-written letter provided, amend it, or write your own. If your Representative already has co-sponsored, please write a note of appreciation.
H. R. 179- To permit the use of Federal funds for syringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viral hepatitis.
Original cosponsors are: Mr. SERRANO (for himself), Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. FARR, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HARE, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. LEE, Ms. MALONEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, MR. PAUL, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WAXMAN, and Ms. WOOLSEY)
~Harm Reduction Coalition - 01/07/2009 | | | | (01/08) More Effort Needed To Address HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma in India, Advocates Say | Some advocates in India are calling for increased efforts to end the social stigma and ostracism experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, LiveMint.com reports. Kapil Kaul, country head for the not-for-profit organization HelpAge India, said that the virus is continually linked with high-risk groups that do not have social standing in the country, adding that people "need to create sympathy and understanding" for those groups to end discrimination. He added that the country's "present approach is devoid of strategy," and that India needs a "huge campaign which must penetrate social norms" and "must have a five to 10 year perspective with definite milestones." Nirupama Rao, state youth coordinator for the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, said stigma can decrease as knowledge about the virus increases, adding the "more you talk about it, the more stigma will come down." Rao also said that creating supportive communities for people living with HIV/AIDS and having visible testing centers would help reduce stigma in India ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/08/2009 | | | | (01/08) Yemen's Low Education Levels, High Poverty Rates Increasing HIV/AIDS Risk, Experts Say | High poverty rates and low education levels are contributing to increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Yemen, especially among commercial sex workers, according to some experts, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Abdul-Hafed al-Ward, secretary-general of the Integrated Care Association for People Living with HIV, said that most cases of HIV/AIDS involve people with low incomes and that "[p]overty and HIV/AIDS go together and wherever the former exists so does the latter." Khaled Abdul-Majid, a program officer at the United Nations Development Program's Sanaa office, said that government institutions do not have the capacity to tackle HIV/AIDS and that a lack of knowledge about the virus leads to fear. He also said that high illiteracy rates contribute to HIV/AIDS-related stigma and that local radio stations "should allocate one hour [a day] to educate people about HIV/AIDS" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/08/2009 | | | | (01/08) Children Increasingly Living With HIV/AIDS in Cambodia; Officials Focusing on Prevention | Cambodia has shifted the focus of its HIV/AIDS prevention efforts from young adults to children in response to 2008 statistics that show an increase in rates of antiretroviral use among children and mother-to-child transmission of the virus, the Phnom Penh Post reports. Mean Chhi Vun -- director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STDs -- said that the government has begun a program to provide "HIV testing for 6,745 pregnant women [this year] in 68 health centers across five of our operational districts." Thirty-five of the women tested positive for HIV and received follow-up care and medicine from the center, according to Vun. Teng Kunthy, general secretary of the National AIDS Authority of Cambodia, said that the government also is focusing on a national registration program to coordinate treatment for children living with HIV. The program "has been running smoothly so far and has encouraged more children to seek treatment," he said ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/07/2008 | | | | (01/08) HIV/AIDS Affecting Formerly Low-Risk Populations in Indonesian Province | Formerly low-risk groups such as married women and young children are contracting HIV/AIDS at higher rates in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province during the past year, the Jakarta Post reports. According to the province's AIDS Eradication Commission, or KPAD, 25 married women and six young children contracted HIV last year. As of November 2008, 10 people had died from the disease, Rohmi Khoiriyati, KPAD secretary, said. KPAD as of November 2008 also recorded 25 new HIV cases, including three among people who had developed AIDS ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/07/2009 | | | | (01/08) Health Official Urges HIV/AIDS Testing Among Elderly Population in Tanzania | Make Msuya -- a district health officer in Korogwe, Tanzania -- recently called on elderly people to be tested for HIV/AIDS in order to help curb the spread of the disease in the country, Guardian/IPP Media reports. Msuya made the announcement during a training course for 50 elderly district residents, which was organized by Tanga Elderly Women Resource Center -- an organization that aims to raise awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on older people. In addition, Msuya also called on elderly populations to avoid harmful practices that increase the risk of spreading HIV, including female genital mutilation and widow inheritance. He also called on older people to continue to serve as care givers to children whose parents have died from AIDS-related causes. "Your role as care givers is exemplary, and the community was banking on you to win the war against HIV/AIDS," Msuya said. He also urged health care officials in the district to provide gloves and condoms in their villages in order to combat the spread of the disease (Kigwangallah, Guardian/IPP Media, 1/2).
~Kaiser Network - 01/07/2009 | | | | (01/06) Cell Phone Soap Operas Promote Condom Use, HIV Awareness | A new campaign aims to provide women with messages about HIV awareness, safer sex and condom use through a series of 12 soap opera vignettes that can be viewed on a cell phone, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Rachel Jones, an educator at Rutgers University's College of Nursing, developed the campaign using professional actors and scripts based on focus groups with women in Newark and Jersey City, N.J. ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/06/2009 | | | | (01/06) Youth in Nigeria at Increased Risk of HIV Because of Inadequate Information, Counseling, UNPF Adviser Says | Youth in Nigeria are at an increased risk of HIV/AIDS because of a lack of information and counseling services, Aderonke Sodeinde, an HIV prevention adviser at the United Nations Population Fund, said recently at a UNPF workshop aimed at educating journalists on the importance of providing HIV education and awareness to young people, the Daily Trust reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/06/2009 | | | | (01/06) More Than 1,000 Chicago Teenagers Receive HIV Test at Annual Teen Test Day | More than 1,000 Chicago teenagers were tested for HIV on Saturday as part of the second annual Teen Test Day at the South Shore Cultural Center, the Chicago Tribune reports. Many of the teenagers said they are not sexually active but believed it was a good idea to receive the no-cost tests, the Tribune reports. Regina Hampton, a case manager for the Circle Family HealthCare Network who administered the tests, said, "It's good to get [teens] in the habit [of being tested for HIV] even if they haven't been sexually active." Organizers of the event said that in recent years, about half of new HIV infections have been reported among adults younger than age 25, with the highest infection rate among black teenagers. Teen Test Day is sponsored by the Chicago-based youth group Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization (Owen, Chicago Tribune, 1/4).
~Kaiser Network - 01/06/2009
| | | | (01/05) Hawaii Grant Helps AIDS Research Program Recover After Losing Federal Funding | The Hawaii AIDS Clinical Research Program has raised more than $20 million to support research and care for HIV-positive people since 2007 when the state Legislature allocated $1.2 million to the program after it lost a $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases because some clinical trial units were closed, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/05/2008 | | | | (01/05) PBS Program Features Discussion of HIV/AIDS | PBS' The Charlie Rose Show last week featured a discussion with David Ho -- director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center -- and Anthony Fauci -- director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- about new approaches to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and the search for a vaccine. Fauci said that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still a "great challenge" but that "the greatest advances have been made in the development of therapies which, if given appropriately to people, can really transform the lives of HIV-[positive] individuals." However, he added, "The sobering news is ... for every person who gets on therapy, you have a few more who get infected." Fauci said that prevention, especially with a vaccine, is "one of the major challenges," adding, "We've come a long way, but there is much, much more to be done" ...(continued)
~Kaiser Network - 01/05/2009 | | |
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